After Bouts
by Trahern
Summary: Sequel to Between Bouts and the series. The Lorwardian invasion has been foiled and everyone is trying to figure out what to do with themselves next. Kigo, among others.
1. After Bouts

**Last Year**

"James?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Put that away, honey. We should have a little talk."

James glanced at his wife, then switched off the tablet he'd been staring at and placed it on his bedside table. "And how much of this little talk will involve talking?" He asked as he turned back to Ann with a raised eyebrow.

"About half of it."

"Ah. A _serious_ talk, then."

"Well, the nature of our marriage is a factor."

"How so?"

Ann shuffled closer and draped an arm across his chest, to which he automatically responded by wrapping his arms around her. "I want to start by saying that I love you as much today as I ever have, and will until the day you die... because I fully expect you to go to your grave before I do."

James mulled this over for a moment, then smiled. "I suppose that's statistically fair. So... what's the issue?"

"It's... well, let me ask you this." She looked up into his eyes. "How would you feel about me having sex with someone else?"

The question threw her husband for a loop, and he simply stared at her for a long moment before asking, "Do you have someone particular in mind?"

"A woman."

"Oh," James managed to exhale as the surprise factor doubled, and he stared in a different direction for a while.

"I'll let the notion sink in, shall I?"

"Yes please."

Ann snuggled a little closer, her ear to her husband's chest, listening to his varying heartbeat as his mind processed things.

"When... how..." the rocket scientist eventually stuttered.

"Recently. A friend of Kimmie's has... expressed an interest. She knows I'm married, she doesn't want to steal me away from you, she just... wants me."

"Is it Vivian?" James asked.

That surprised Ann. "Who?"

"Vivian Porter. I'm sure I introduced you... she's been coming to the new year parties since Kimmie cleared up that business with Fenn... hasn't she?"

"Oh, Dr. Porter," Ann made the connection. Vivian was head of robotics at the space center. They'd gotten along quite well at the first party. "We talked about getting robot brains to work like human ones over champagne." She looked back up at him with a cheeky smile. "You do have a thing for brainy beauties, don't you? Would you like her to yourself, or are you hoping for a threesome now?" She let James hem and haw a moment before chuckling. "No, not her. But we can talk about that later, if you like."

"Oh... kay..." by this point James was quite dumbfounded. "So, this friend of Kimmie's... wants you. And you..."

"I like it. I've gotten my share of attention over the years, of course, but this time... well, she's special. One might even say unique."

"You're actually considering... picking up where you left off in college?"

"I'm wondering if I can. If I'm more than just curious. And if I am, how would you feel about it?"

"I'm honestly not sure."

Ann waited for a while, but apparently James was too flummoxed to come to any conclusions. "She's invited Kim to a weekend away," she said, "After her exams. A tropical island, very private. I'm welcome to come along. She knows I've been enjoying her attention; I think she's giving me the opportunity to discover my boundaries."

"With Kimmie there? I don't-"

"Kim knows."

"She... she does?"

"And she knows I won't go if you don't want me to." The redhead didn't have to look to know James was frowning at the thought of their daughter's sexual awareness. "She's not a little girl anymore, you know."

The rocket scientist sighed. "No, but she'll always be _my_ little girl."

"So if I grew my hair and wore her clothes, some green contact lenses, started talking like her... you'd be incapable of treating me like your wife?" Ann groped his manhood to get her point across, and couldn't help but smirk as it grew hard in her grip.

"Is... that something you might do?"

"If I thought you ever fantasized about defiling your little girl..." his wife said as her hand began to stroke his hardon.

James stared off into space for a moment, then asked out of the blue, "Has our sex life gotten dull?"

Ann looked back up to his face. "Where did that come from?"

"Well... I've never had any complaints, but I've always known you were a little, uh, kinky..."

"You've certainly never complained about me tickling your prostate," Ann said huskily.

James cleared his throat before continuing. "To be honest, I've always thought you were holding back for when things got boring in our old age."

"Honey, I've been perfectly content so far. It's just... recent events have been making me consider the possibilities, lately."

"Do you _want_ to go on the weekend trip?"

"I do."

"Well... okay, then. I'm willing to discover how I feel about it if you are."

Ann's smile widened, and the hand that had been stroking tightened its grip and started wanking. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."

Feeling the first drops of precum in her palm, as well as the subject of conversation and her husband's affirmation, made Ann just as aroused. She climbed onto James and rubbed her moistening slit against his hardon, feeling it jerk reflexively against her. "So... if you came home one day to find me in bed with Vivian, what would you do?"

"That would be entirely up to her."

"And if you came home and caught your little Kimmie-cub playing with herself?"

"Uh..." Any answer James might have been able to give was almost forgotten as his wife impaled herself upon him. "You don't think she's actually started to..."

"Let's just say I'm quite certain she's sexually active."

"Oh."

As Ann began to ride her husband in earnest, she wondered just how wild the weekend away would go.

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day<strong>

The corner of the building was still standing as Kim limped around it. Taking a breath, she braced herself, then slammed her dislocated shoulder into it, popping the joint back into place. She gritted her teeth to avoid making a sound, but in combination with her other aches and pains, she couldn't prevent a pained hiss.

She stood rock still and silent for a moment, but all she could hear was the noise of tumbling bricks. Either that admittedly large bit of rubble had broken into pieces when it fell on Shego, or-

A wide lance of green energy shot into the sky at a forty-five degree angle, proving the second theory that the masonry was coming apart as Shego blasted her way out.

The green girl crawled out of the exit she had made for herself, looked all around for any sign of Kimmie, then let herself drop and roll onto her side to take care of her most immediate problem. The teen hero didn't peek around the corner, only heard three muffled snaps, each punctuated by increasingly aggravated growls.

"Where are you, Kimmie?" Shego hollered when she got her breath back. "Since when do you hide?"

"I need a minute!" Kim yelled back, her frayed nerves trumping common sense and giving away her location.

"Why wait? We both know where this is going."

"I... dammit, I need to pee, okay?"

"You _what_?"

"We've been at this for two hours, Shego! I'm tired, I need to go, and I have to peel the suit off to do it. You know what that's like..."

"Yeah..." Shego's voice sounded slightly less hostile. "Fine, have your potty break. It'll give my ribs a chance to settle."

"You won't do anything?"

"I'm beating you fair and square, Kimmie."

The redhead unzipped the battle suit and waited to see if Shego reacted to the sound, but apparently her opponent really was content to sit this out. Getting the suit all the way down to her ankles proved a greater challenge than expected, however, due to all the damage Shego had inflicted on her. The inlay scraped against the bruises and tore at the slashes, making her bleed again in a couple of places. Still, she managed to get it to her knees and do her business while trying to rethink her strategy.

The battle had been disturbingly reminiscent of their fights at Bueno Nacho headquarters, except that this time Shego was already aware of the battle suit's capabilities. At first she was able to keep Kimmie too busy to make use of the energy scoop, but as the fight dragged on, the opportunity to use her power against her had come up once or twice. From the look on her face, she still hated that.

When the force field popped up, Shego first threw her most powerful blasts against it, including that big energy ball she was capable of conjuring. When the field held up under the assault, she switched to a tight, continuous beam; something Kim had never seen her do before. The field overloaded as it tried to compensate under such a focused attack. Kim suspected that if she had not been thrown by the resulting explosion, she would have had a finger-wide hole bored clean through her torso.

Shego really was playing for keeps.

Kim had been in the same state of mind at first, but as fatigue finally set in, she was beginning to think that the former villainess was bound to win by attrition unless she came up with a way to put Shego down for good. Even if it meant... but that's what she'd said when they started, wasn't it. To the death, if that's how it turned out. Kim had been fairly sure that knocking what was left of that skyscraper onto the superpowered woman wouldn't kill her, but she wasn't sure how hard a blow to the head it would take to put Shego down long enough to consider it a win. And a blow to the head was the only thing that had ever slowed her down.

Kim had to prove herself against her opposite, she knew that. But the truth was, she didn't want to even _risk_ killing Shego. If she did... she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

The realisation hit her as she struggled back into the battle suit. She was still in love with Shego. She'd never really stopped, and she _could not lose her_.

"Oh Ron, I'm so sorry..." she breathed before she zipped up.

"You ready?" Shego called out.

"I guess..."

"Game on, then."

The sound of Shego's glow igniting prompted Kim to leap away, and sure enough the corner she'd been hiding behind exploded into chunks of various size. The drawback to losing the force field was that the battle suit sealed shrapnel inside when it healed itself. The little aches and pains were adding up to one potentially fatal disability.

Kim didn't want to die either. She didn't want to put Shego through the guilt.

Shego had taken a flying leap after firing off that blast, and the redhead was forced to dodge again to avoid a flaring clawed hand from above. Another round of hand to hand ensued, green and blue flashing whenever contact was made. Shego had always been less prepared against Kim's kicks, but Kim was in no condition to pull any off without revealing her most serious injury.

"This is rediculous," Kim managed to say as they went. "Are we just supposed to keep at it until one of us slips up?"

"If that's what it takes for one of us to really beat the other," Shego answered. "If we don't push ourselves as hard as we can, bring everything we've got to the fight, what's the point?"

"Because if we keep this up, you're bound to win when I finally run out of stamina." The teenager grabbed her opponent's hands, holding them tight, causing a light show that threw bizarre shadows across both their faces. "You win the rematch, okay? Can we agree to that and stop now, before either of us gets hurt any worse?"

"Defeats the purpose of the fight, Kimmie. I thought you got this." Shego yanked her hands and resumed her attack.

"Then I'm sorry," Kim said, parried the green girl's next blow and thrust forward with a double-fisted punch... to Shego's ribs.

The former villainess crumpled for just a moment, but it was long enough for Kim to set up and execute a roundhouse kick to Shego's temple. The teenager cried out at the contact; if the leg hadn't been broken before, it definitely was now. They collapsed to the ground together.

"Son of a bitch, Possible," Shego wheezed, clutching her ribcage with one arm, rubbing her head with the other.

"I said I'm sorry, but you asked for it."

A growl, then Kim received a foot to the gut for her sass. Shego had rolled towards her and swung a leg around as hard as she could to deliver the blow, despite her current condition. The redhead choked just shy of vomiting, but the hit was hard won. Shego began coughing too, except in her case it involved blood.

Kim was absorbed in her own woes until the other girl shrieked. "Are you okay?"

It took several gasps for Shego to respond. "I just pulled a rib out of my lung, whadda _you_ think?"

Kim blinked, then collapsed onto her back. "I'm done. Strangle me if you want, I just don't have anything left. And I don't mean just physically. I hate hurting you."

Shego grunted in frustration. "Don't you dare quit on me now. We're both still conscious."

"Not for much longer, if my fuzzy vision is any sign."

After a long look at the girl, Shego finally relented and eased back down onto her own back. "This isn't how I wanted it to go," she muttered.

"We're too evenly matched. And _way_ too stubborn." Kim struggled to activate the kimmunicator on her wrist. "Wade... air ambulance, please... current location..."

"Kim? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Ask Shego. Passing out now."

"Shego?" The young genius echoed, but Kim was already unconscious. He was surprised when the view on his screen shifted to the green girl. "Shego... is that blood?"

"You heard her, nerdlinger. Make sure it's a helicopter, a ground vehicle can't reach us. We've both got broken bones and lacerations, I punctured a lung... ugh, y'know what? Kimmie had the right idea."

Wade stared at the sight of Kim's nemesis passing out, until what he was seeing registered in his brain and jolted him into action.


	2. Invalids

When Ann was called to the emergency room, she assumed it was for a consult on major head trauma, not tailoring. She froze at the sight of her daughter's bruised and bloody face.

"I don't know what her outfit is made of," the frustrated ER doctor told her, "But whenever we try to cut it off, it seals itself right back up! Do you know how to stop it?"

"I only know it unzips down the front..." the neurosurgeon said as she reached the side of the gurney and its occupant. "Kimmie?"

"She's unconscious, but her vitals are strong. We just can't check her injuries while she's wearing this thing."

Spotting the kimmunicator on her daughter's wrist, Ann thumbed the call switch and watched Wade appear on the screen. "Hi, Dr. Possible. I take it they reached the hospital okay."

"Wade, is there a way to power down Kim's suit so it stops repairing itself?"

"Sure, I can do it from here, as long as the kimmunicator is in direct contact." The boy swivelled his chair to tap at a different keyboard. A moment later, the blue lines of the battle suit stopped glowing. "Done."

"Thank you, Wade." Ann undid the wristband and held the device in her hand as she made room for the doctor and nurses to get to work. "Do you know what happened? Who did this to Kim?"

"Uh, I did."

Ann yanked at the curtain between beds to discover Shego, looking almost as bad as her daughter. Things fell into place in an instant. "You two were fighting, weren't you?"

"It was time," was the only answer the green girl offered. Ann didn't understand it, but imagined it was true.

"Why are you looking so rough around the edges? I thought you were a fast healer."

"Oh, I looked a lot worse than this, a little while ago. Kimmie gave as good as she got." Shego glanced over to the girl in question. "Does the computer nerd know what they're doing to his masterpiece?"

"Why, what are they doing?" Wade's voice asked. "They who?"

Ann had all but forgotten what she was holding, and looked down at the circular screen with sympathy. "I'm sorry Wade, but they had to cut it off to treat her injuries."

The boy's expression conveyed his horror. "They're dissecting the battle suit?"

In the pause that followed, both Ann and Shego watched as the body armour was peeled off. "Careful," the attending physician warned, "I'm seeing both incisions and lacerations, but little hemorrhaging. I think the suit has been preventing blood loss, so be ready to act if it starts."

"At least it was good for something," Shego muttered, drawing Ann's attention back to her.

"Not up to your standards?"

"It had the element of surprise, last time. Against me, that was the only thing it had going for it."

Wade squawked with indignation. "But I designed it specifically for-"

"Oh, it was a step up, I'll admit. Partially negated my _glowing_ advantages, which had me pissed until I worked around it... but that's no big deal. Kimmie kept me on my toes long before the supersuit."

"Okay, this fibula is definitely broken. We'll need to splint that before we get her to x-ray."

Ann shot an accusing look at Shego, who only shrugged a shoulder and said, "My lung healed after being punctured, but it's gonna take my ribs a coupla days."

The statement reversed the neurosurgeon's expression to one of surprise. "I... she really did that?"

"About time, too. It could have been a lot worse, for both of us... but we agreed I'd eventually win." The green girl sighed contentedly. "The balance has been restored."

"Now all we have to do is recover from the alien invasion," Ann said with more sarcasm than Shego had ever heard from her before.

"Hey, if civilisation falls, don't worry. I've got ya covered."

"Thank you so much."

"Until then, when I get outta here, I can find a place for your family, get you out of the Stoppable house."

"James is already working on that. The problem right now is that we're down to one car."

"New wheels. Got it."

"Shego..."

"Hey, I'm a free girl now. I won't steal it, I promise."

Ann gave up and returned to her daughter's side. The teenager now had a sheet covering her nudity and seemed comfortable enough under the circumstances.

"I'll look after her too," Shego said in a quieter, serious voice. "Or help. Whatever."

Ann only nodded, stroking Kim's hair.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Ron to find out what happened, so he was less than pleased when he discovered Kim and Shego were sharing a room. The doctor had assured them both that the redhead had gone from unconscious to merely sleeping, hence the fact that the blond and the green girl were quietly hissing questions and answers at each other.<p>

"It's how we work out our problems," Shego tried to explain. "You never knew because it's never been this... severe."

"No kidding! How does putting her in the hospital with a broken leg solve anything?"

"I dunno, the same way breaking my ribs does. Do you think I'd still be here otherwise?"

"You _should_ be in jail!"

"Only if Kimmie presses charges, and she won't. She knew what she was doing, doofus." That seemed to shut the boy up, and it took Shego a moment to notice it hadn't been the insult that did it, but his realisation that she was right. Somehow it drained her frustration with him, and she sighed. "Look, after Bueno Nacho headquarters, things were different. You know that, right?"

"Oh, I know."

"You... you do?"

Ron didn't miss the surprise in her voice. "She told me all about you two after... the graduation party."

"Huh. I was starting to think she never would... and then, of course, it no longer mattered."

"That's where you're wrong," the blond grumbled.

"It mattered. It still does."

Both Ron and Shego turned their attention to the other bed in the room. "KP?"

As Ron automatically rushed over to her, Kim's eyes remained on the other girl. "Shego, could you give us a few minutes, please?"

The green girl stared for a moment, her face impassive, then gingerly levered herself out of bed and walked out without a word, shutting the door behind her.

Kim turned her full attention to Ron. "For the record, Shego told me to tell you what was going on, plenty of times. So did mom."

Ron's dubious 'she did' was instantly replaced by an incredulous, "Your _mom_ knew?"

A single shoulder shrugged, the other still being too sore. "She found out. She's a mom. _My_ mom."

"Anyone else?"

"Wade figured it out, somewhere along the line. And... Doctor Director had Shego's cell bugged after the little diablos. I went to visit her, and Betty heard everything. The point is, I didn't _tell_ anyone."

Watching Ron digest this, it hit Kim that he and Shego represented different things in her life. Her sidekick was the good guy, the innocent boy, the embodiment of all the ordinary people she ever wanted to help. The villainess was wicked temptation, perversion, and passion. Her relationship with Ron had always lacked the spark of the latter, but it had always been... safe.

"Monique doesn't know?" He suddenly asked.

"No."

"Tell her. When she comes to visit."

Kim cringed. "Why so soon?"

Ron's are-you-kidding face looked a lot like his serious one, except it somehow invoked more guilt. Apparently he'd discovered his own version of the puppy dog pout.

"Okay okay, I'll tell her. I shouldn't have kept it a secret from you for so long, I should know better. I won't leave it any longer with Monique. Happy?"

"No, but it's a start. Man, I can't believe all of Global Justice knew before I did."

The bedridden redhead gaped at the thought. "I... hadn't considered that. I just assumed Betty told anyone who already knew to keep it quiet. Ugh, that _would_ be so the drama." She watched Ron's mouth ease into his usual lopsided grin, and sighed. "Well, I don't want to get all Agony County on you, but... I realised a few things while Shego was kicking my ass."

"Did you realise you've been picking up her potty mouth?"

"You know the whole 'opposites attract' thing? Shego's my opposite."

The grin twisted a bit at the irony. "I already figured that. But she's not a criminal anymore..."

"I don't mean heroes and villains. I mean... who we are. The whole archfoe thing is kinda coincidental."

"Oh, come on. Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't get a kick out of sleeping with the enemy."

Kim's blush forced her to look elsewhere. "Well, yeah, but there's more to it than that. When we fight... it's like a method of communication. Shego and I get each other on a level that no one else understands. Mom doesn't, even after watching us fight, but she accepts it as a part of our relationship."

"I can learn. Now we're out of high school, I can learn big time."

"Maybe - and it would be ferociously cool to fight you when you've got monkey kung fu down - but it wouldn't be the same. Shego and I have been doing this for most of our lives. We're equals, while you have monkey magic and two weeks of training, in _one_ style of kung fu. It would be like... you trying to teach me Rufus-speak after all this time."

Hearing his name, the naked mole rat popped his head out of his pocket to see what was going on, then crawled up to Ron's shoulder for a better view. From there, he could see the state Kim was in. "Ooh, ow. Shego."

"Besides, I don't ever want to fight you like I do her. We can spar to your heart's content, but when me and Shego fight, we... well, we _fight_. It's part of who we are, together, while you and me..."

"Not like this," Ron finished for her, gesturing at the leg in its cast.

"This is the last consequence of me kicking Shego into that transmission tower at BNHQ." _Come to think of it, it's the same leg._ "The stuff that's been between us since is behind us, now."

"So," Ron sighed, "You two are getting back together."

"If she'll have me."

A long moment of silence, save for the blond shuffling his feet, before he mumbled, "I guess I was right after all. We're breaking up."

"Yeah."

"And I can't do anything about it."

"You can be my best friend, like you've always been. I want you both in my life. I always have, since this started. I just... didn't know how until today."

That confused Ron. "Like what? Y'mean... share you?"

Kim snorted with amusement. "Do you think you _could_?"

"Well, uh... yeah..." the boy's grin threatened to sneak back onto his face. "Especially if I could watch you two."

"If I ever thought Shego would go for it... well, who knows? Maybe when you can hold your own against _her_..."

Ron swallowed nervously. "I'm going to need lots more training. Like, months of training."

Rufus slapped his ear. "Naughty!"

"Ow! I'm only human, dude! It's for a good cause!"

That provoked all out laughter from the heroine. "I'm glad you're not freaking," she eventually managed to say.

"It might just be a delayed reaction. I doubt tapping into the monkey mojo gave me any perspective or anything. But to be honest... I guess I saw this coming since... our night." Ron sighed. "Ever since the moodulator thing, I worried that if we tried and tanked, we wouldn't be able to go back to what we were."

"We can't. Even if we hadn't dated, our lives would still change. I think the only difference is how. We'll just have to find a new way to be best friends."

The boy took another deep breath, but this one was more upbeat. "You're following your heart. Can't blame you for that. Just know you'll always be in mine... uh, however you want to take that." Ron scratched his head, surprised by his own words. "Anyway, I'll take off now. Uh... for a while, actually. Time apart, and... stuff. But I'll be in touch."

Not daring to give Kim a hug, he simply took her hand in his and squeezed gently. They spent a silent moment smiling at each other, daring to believe that things between them would be okay.

Then Ron turned and walked away. Rufus waved from his owner's shoulder, and Kim waved a few fingers back. Then they were gone.

Shego was back less than a minute later, but instead of going to her own bed, she surprised Kim by climbing onto the redhead and giving her a kiss that made her feelings clear.

By the time it was over, Kim knew. "You were listening the whole time, weren't you?"

"Old habits die hard."

"You want to give us another try?"

"I have to keep a clean slate, now. I'm gonna need all the help I can get." Another kiss. "And there are other benefits..."

Despite the leg cast and other injuries, the benefits proved enticing enough to keep Shego on the straight and narrow for another night; which was fortunate, because not long after they were done, they had one more visitor. Instinct woke Shego to find Kim fast asleep beside her, the the source of her unease only a few feet away, scurtinizing them both with a single, staring eye.

"You're a big perv, aren't ya, Betty," the green girl murmered. "No wonder you became a spy. You get off on the job."

"Surveillance is only part of the job," Doctor Director replied, her voice softer than Shego had ever heard in their recent dealings. "You and Drakken will be under our observation for quite some time, which is why I'm aware of your recent activities."

"You can't smell it from there?" Shego quipped.

The eye merely blinked. "I was referring to how you both ended up in the hospital in the first place. Regardless... I take it the two of you have reconciled following your pardon. Congratulations."

"Bullshit. You saw an opportunity to curtail my criminal activities and you took it. If it wasn't for Kimmie, I would have taken the trouble to spite you on principle."

"Exactly. You're in love with her every bit as much as she is with you. I'd rather not see either of you waste it."

Shego was getting an increasing suspicion that this wasn't a professional call, but a personal one. "That's surprisingly human of you, Betty. Speaking from personal experience?"

"I know you're not usually one for regrets, but missed opportunities can affect anyone." A trace of a smile appeared briefly, but was gone almost as fast. "I did have a mission for the two of you before your showdown; one that might have allowed you the opportunity to kiss and make up, if you hadn't already. I'm assuming, at this point, you'll throw it in my face without asking Kimberly her opinion."

"We both know what she'd think. She can't help but help."

Doctor Director nodded in agreement. "I suppose this opens an opportunity of my own. I rarely get to do fieldwork these days, but I'm sure I can complete the mission personally... with a little help."

Shego glared at the smirk now on Betty's face. "From who?"

"From _whom_. You should know better, with your credentials."

"Quit avoiding."

The brunette did stop avoiding the question, frustrating Shego with a vague answer instead. "A fellow doctor offered her assistance, once. I may just take her up on it."


	3. Doctors

_WARNING: This chapter contains a potential child abuse trigger. Referencial, not descriptive, but better safe than sorry._

* * *

><p>Ann was pleasantly surprised to receive another late night visit from Betty, even if it was at the hospital. She and James took turns working late to reduce the stress on the Stoppable household, which often translated into the neurosurgeon spending the night on the couch against the side wall of her office. She was still behind her desk when her door eased open without warning.<p>

"Good evening, doctor," Betty said. The resulting smile on Ann's face was enough to push her self-control, but she managed to keep her blush response locked down. Her reactions to the increasingly open-minded woman were becoming a problem, and she still wasn't sure if she was here in spite of, or because of it.

"Hello, doctor. To what do I owe the pleasure? Came to check on our lovebirds?"

"You're aware of Kim's renewed association with Shego."

"I saw it coming, even if I don't understand it. They're two of a kind. I'd hoped Ron would be the one, but..."

"Kimberly never takes the easy route, does she?"

"No, she doesn't."

They shared an understanding smile before Betty got to the purpose of her visit. "When I saw you last year, you... offered your services."

Ann leaned back in her chair, an amused smile on her face. "In what regard are you referring to?" she asked with a slightly more seductive tone.

The secret agent retained her composure. "I believe your precise words were, 'a girlfriend for a mission in a lesbian-centric location'."

"And such circumstances have arisen?"

"It's a cruise. A week around the Caribbean, free from the attention of drooling males. Couples only."

_She's totally serious,_ the neurosurgeon realised to her surprise. _I thought this sort of thing only happened on television. _"And you want me to be half of the couple."

"Female field agents are rare, to say the least. I've tried to balance the scales when it comes to GJ, but the truth is - setting aside the fact that having a woman in charge seems to be enough gender equality for some people - so few women even apply to test themselves against our rigorous standards. I thought Kim and Shego would be ideal. A mission together would have been a less painful way for them to put their grievances to rest."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ann admitted. "Kim may have kept Shego on track until the mission was complete, but the more I think about it, the more I believe a rematch was inevitable."

"Rematch? Ah. Bueno Nacho headquarters, the fight that split them up." A singular blink. "Shego won, then."

"As far as she's concerned, at least. As long as they're both happy..." Ann shrugged. "So, this mission. Are you and I going to be... partners?"

The way she had voiced the last word caused Betty's emotional control to flicker before she clamped down on it. "Where civilian involvement is concerned, you may actually be more qualified, certainly more specialised, than your daughter. And there is no better agent to keep you safe than I." A fresh determinism coloured her features. "To be honest, I don't get into the field as much as I used to. I'm actually looking forward to this."

The medical doctor leaned forward again, elbows on her desk, hands cupping her face. "I admit, I'm curious to see you work. How far you're willing to go, for instance."

"I'm... capable of doing whatever is necessary to complete the mission."

"Even public displays of affection?"

The fact that the medical doctor was now staring at her lips instead of her eye finally added a little heat to Director's cheeks. "Quite."

Ann's amused expression turned serious for a moment. "Be that as it may, I do have prior responsibilities, to the hospital, my patients..."

"Should you accept, a highly-trained GJ neurosurgeon will take your place here for the duration of the assignment. I can personally assure you he's very capable."

"I'd still like to check his credentials for myself."

"I assumed as much. I've already cleared you for access to his file." The agent produced a flash drive and handed it over.

"And the assignment?"

"Is on there, too. Villain apprehension, a task complicated by her ability for disguise. Are you familiar with Camille Leon?"

"The disowned heiress that turned to crime after discovering her shapeshifting abilities? Kim has tracked her down several times before, hasn't she?"

"She has. We'll have to take a more subtle approach. We have her brainwave on file, since it's the only reliable method to verify her identity. Doing that will be your job."

"Is Camille gay?"

"Not seriously, no. She's either trying to lay low, or she has something planned for the cruise itself. We should have a better idea when the time approaches."

"And when is this cruise?"

"Next week. Not much time to prepare, but I'm sure you can manage."

"If we finish early, can I stay for the whole week?"

"...I don't see why not."

"Will you stay with me? It's supposed to be couples only, after all. I imagine you could use a break."

"Well..."

"If you stay, will you let me ravish your gorgeous body?"

"Probably not."

"I'm guessing your undercover persona will be terribly shy..."

"I'm no wallflower, doctor. I've simply never been attracted to women."

Ann slowly got to her feet and made her way around her desk to the couch. Betty's eye tracked her across the room and watched as the neurosurgeon take her seat; the eyebrow above arched as Ann patted the cushion beside her. "Have a seat, doctor."

The brunette did not sit next to Ann, but close enough so that when she mirrored the redhead's position, their crossed legs were not so far apart. Ann's eyes travelled the length of the agent's body, then returned to her face. "I experimented in college," she said, "And I've learned a few things about sexuality. In my experience, a straight woman is capable of several lesbian activities, but there is usually a line they cannot cross. Many find that line when they - or whoever they're with - comes face to face with a vagina."

Betty cleared her throat, but her voice lacked any nervousness. She believed Ann was trying to set her mind at ease, despite the redhead's interest. "Or whoever they're with?"

"More than once, when my mouth started heading lower than a girl's breasts, she would get terribly nervous." Ann chuckled at such a memory. "Perhaps it's my medical training, but I'm just not grossed out by bodily fluids. Are you aware that women are capable of ejaculation?"

"...I'd read that, yes."

"Do you think I'm attractive?"

"I_ think _it, yes."

"Meaning you don't feel it, of course." Ann observed her guest's nod before continuing. "You're a very attractive woman yourself. And you appreciate my intellect, which you may have guessed is one way to get my attention."

"The eyepatch?" Betty asked in a neutral tone.

"Adds mystery, and makes your remaining eye all the more beautiful and precious." Said eye widened at the unexpected compliment, but Ann carried on, slipping her shoes off and gently placing her feet in Betty's lap. "Footrubs earn you points, too," she added with a smirk that the agent had seen before.

"It seems you've picked up a few of Shego's habits," Betty said, though she did not shy from the task presented to her. Perhaps her knowledge of pressure points would come in handy.

"You two are quite similiar, physically. Curves shaped from hard muscle. Sultry, sexy eyes."

"I'll ignore the comparison and accept the compliment."

Ann laughed at that. "You're welcome. Hoping Kimmie will be a positive influence?"

"It's certainly preferable to her going the other way and becoming a motivated threat. After the little diablo attack and the discovery of their relationship, I was worried about what Shego might do. I was surprised to learn she actually maintained an affection for Kimberly, however veiled."

"In this family, I've learned not to be surprised by how things turn out."

The agent's hands paused as she considered whether or not to voice the next question on her mind. "What of... you and Kim?"

"You're asking how far we've taken that? Do I have to worry about you slapping handcuffs on me after the mission? And not in a kinky way?"

"Just gathering information, for the sake of understanding." The truth was, Doctor Director didn't know what to do about anything involving the Possible family, beyond maximizing the chances of Kim joining Global Justice. Arresting her lover was par for the course until the pardon, but her own mother? That would put a crimp on things, whatever the nature of their relationship.

"Kim missed Shego a great deal in the past year. I should have taken that as a sign, considering she had Ron instead." She fell silent for a moment, during which Betty switched to the other foot. "Not long before the little diablo attack, Shego took us both to a tropical island for a weekend, after Kim's exams. That was when Shego and I had sex, when they weren't occupied with each other. I'd agreed to go because I wanted to learn what I was capable of doing, not just with Shego, but with Kim. I'd never had the intention to make our relationship sexual, despite Shego's encouragement. Until then, one hurried peck aside - and perhaps a little voyeurism - we were comfortable as things were. Kim was content to watch us without joining in.

"But at the end of the weekend... Shego was... tending to Kim, while she was in my lap. When she climaxed, she kissed me with a passion that floored me. The entire experience was profoundly erotic, but when she kissed me... I nearly came with her. In that moment, I would have done anything she wanted, even though the first thing she did when she recovered was apologise. The revelation was... quite an experience."

"I can understand the situation you were in..." Betty said slowly.

"There's more." Ann glanced toward her desk. "Kim and Shego met here in my office. I gave them some time alone, hoping they would sort things out, one way or another. When I returned, Shego was gone and Kim was... flustered would be putting it mildly. I came to the conclusion that granting her the release she craved was the best thing to do, but the truth is... I wanted it. I wanted to feel what I felt on that island, again."

By now, Betty's ministrations had come to a halt. "What did you do? If you don't mind me asking."

"She had me against the desk, my skirt up and her thighs clamped around mine. I could feel her heat through her pants, and the door was closed but unlocked... I'd say I let her have her way with me, except there was some mutual kissing and groping."

Ann paused again, giving herself a moment to calm down from her current state of arousal. Aware of it or not, Betty seemed willing to give her that moment, perhaps because she was blushing herself. She stared at the desk for a long moment, then made an effort to look anywhere else as the blush deepened. _She was imagining it,_ Ann realised, which did nothing to help her calm down. "What is it about the situation that excites you?" she heard herself ask.

The question surprised Betty, taking her a moment to formulate a response. "In my line of work, I've seen all kinds of immoral behaviour. Incest tends to involve an abuser and a victim. Sometimes it's blackmail. Some do it because they know they shouldn't, or just because they can." She looked Ann in the eye. "I'm aware of your childhood difficulties."

"I assumed as much," the redhead responded quietly, not looking away.

"You've grown into an incredible, accomplished woman, the mother of three equally astounding children. At first, the thought of you... behaving like your parents, was unfathomable. But you've trusted me enough to explain the situation, and it seems to come down to the simple fact that you love your daughter."

"You really think so?"

"The way you tell it, your sexual gratification has always been a secondary factor at best. You understand the attraction, the temptation, the motivation. Kimberly is the instigator in each event. Nothing you've done makes you like _them_."

Ann took a deep breath. "I knew it on a psychological level, but if feels good to hear it from someone more objective. Ever since Kim was born, I was aware of what I could do. James and I even talked about it, more than once. Without him... well, who knows."

"Whatever emotional baggage you bring, he's lucky to have you."

The redhead sighed, trying to break the current mood. "What about you? Kimmie told me you and your brother share a rivalry of global proportions..."

"I really can't say. We didn't have the kind of trouble you did, but that doesn't mean we didn't have trouble. All things considered, you've dealt with it better than either of us." Betty shifted her position in a rare display of discomfort. "It was embarrasing, your daughter seeing us bicker like that. But I also avoided direct contact since the incident, to avoid drawing Gemini's attention to her."

"You have big hopes for her."

"Selfish, but big. Like you and James, I imagine."

"When Kim was looking for universities to apply to, James and I almost argued - well, I suppose _I_ almost argued - over whether she would be a doctor or a scientist."

"I'd like to see her take my place, someday. She's already done so much good for the world, I'm sure she'd make the most of the resources available to someone in my position. And she'd be able to stick to her principles better than I've been able to."

"Hazards of the job? Politics, compromises?"

"Precisely."

A moment of comfortable silence passed between them, friendly smiles and curious gazes.

"I trust you to keep me safe," Ann eventually said.

"I trust you to complete the mission," Betty replied.

Gently removing the redhead's feet from her lap, the agent stood and started for the door.

"Just one more question," Ann said.

"Yes?"

"What's under the eyepatch?"

Betty chuckled. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

She caught a glimpse of Ann's smile as she closed the door behind her.


	4. Redheads

The Middleton Medical Center had been left untouched by the Lorwardian invasion, perhaps intentionally. Any destruction of the world's infrastructure seemed to be coincidental, the consequence of lying in the path of the alien war machines. Some argued that if domination was the goal of an invading force, it made sense to keep buildings like hospitals intact for the sake of maintaining a healthy population, albeit enslaved.

Middleton's hospital was isolated in comparison to it's less fortunate counterparts in Upperton and Lowerton, so it was bearing the brunt of the injured in the tri-city area. Kim and Shego had only been given a room to themselves by virtue of being half of the group that defeated the Lorwardians.

It only took Shego two days to heal, at which point she dragged Kim into a wheelchair and rolled her out of there, against doctor's orders. Ann was not surprised or concerned. She knew the former villainess would take care of her daughter, who was certainly just happy to leave the hospital, if for different reasons. Not only would Kim have difficulty doing nothing once she was rested, but she would no doubt be quick to give up her room to someone who needed it more. Shego was probably just bored, though given her history, a strong dislike of anywhere medical might have played a part in her decision. She had never been very forthcoming about what had happened directly after the comet.

"Shego, you're supposed to leave the wheelchair at the door," Kim complained as she struggled to maintain her grip on the crutches she was supposed to be using by now. The green girl was going so fast, the chair's wheels were struggling to cope, causing it to jostle its occupant about.

"This is more fun," Shego countered, "And I'll return it when you're back at Stoppable's house. Then pack your things, because I'm taking you to the lair."

"What? Why?"

"Because I want you all to myself for a while."

"What about Drakken? And the henchmen?"

"All gone." An amused bark of a laugh. "Hell, you can repurpose the place into the Kimmie-cave if you want. Dr. D's in New York and I doubt he's ever coming back."

That surprised Kim. Even if Drakken was a legitimate scientist now, Middleton remained a hub of the nation's scientific community. On the other hand, he might finally be letting go of the past that had driven him to evil megalomania. If so, it begged the question the teen hero had to voice. "So... you two are going your seperate ways?"

"Probably shoulda done it last year," Shego grumbled.

"If you had, he probably wouldn't have been able to make that killer plant juice. Oh... is he still..."

"Yep. But for some reason, the more he uses the vine, the less the petals pop up. Guess his mutation has limits. Last I heard from him, he was looking for a way to get more vines and no petals. Of course, he has no idea how the mutation happened in the first place."

"What about when his vine hugged you during the ceremony?"

Their velocity dropped as Shego cringed involuntarily. "Ugh, you saw that? I hope you saw my face when it happened."

"I had Wade make a still of it for whenever I need a good laugh," Kim teased.

"Cute, princess. Remember who can push you into the river if you get too annoying."

"That's great nursing there, Shego."

"Hey, if that's what you want, you'll have to behave if you want me to wear the outfit."

Kim smiled at the image before twisting around enough to look her 'chauffeur' in the eye for a moment. "It's good to hear you using the nicknames again."

"Yeah, well... I guess I miss 'em," the formal villainess grudgingly admitted.

"Because you originally started using them to annoy me?"

"It shows I care. Cupcake."

"I remember how much you care about my cupcakes. The only reason your mouth ever left them was for sweeter meat."

Shego couldn't help but snigger. The banter felt like old times. "On a related topic, I promised your mother I'd taxi her to and from work until she gets some new wheels. I was thinking I'd take the motorcycle so she'd have to hang on tight."

"Just don't do any big jumps onto moving trains and you'll be fine." Kim meant it completely seriously. Her mother's scream when she had pulled such a manouver still resonated painfully in her memory.

"I don't suppose you two have been molesting each other in my absence..."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kim answered cheekily.

"Heh. You're growing up, Kimmie."

Conversation during the rest of the journey continued in a lighthearted vein, only growing serious as they approached the Stoppable household. It was a testament to Shego's recovery that she'd managed to roll Kim across town so energetically. The teen hero wanted to see how Ron was doing after their breakup. She never admitted it out loud, but she thought moving to the lair would be for the best.

Except Ron was gone, and he'd taken Hana with him. His parents were mildly distraught, but their son had made it clear that it was necessary. Kim suspected that she knew Ron's intended destination, but when Wade couldn't confirm his location immediately, she chose not to push it. The boy - young man - deserved his space, and he would be among friends.

"You gonna tell me what that was all about?" Shego asked once they were alone in the room the Possibles were currently sleeping in, aware that Kim had been deliberately vague about the whole thing.

"I think Ron's going through his own BNHQ-type ish," the redhead replied, "With Warmonga and Warhok. And now he's single again... well, before the invasion, I'd have said he ran and hid..."

"He didn't?" Shego asked, her dismissive tone curiously lacking.

"I don't think so."

"Kimmie, just because he tapped into some monkey magic-"

"Wait. How do you know it's _monkey_ magic?"

"D'oy, monkey kung fu. I recognised the fighting style."

"Oh. Right."

"Anyway, it hasn't changed who he is. Gave him a confidence boost, maybe, but he's still a buffoon at heart."

"Don't diss the Ron-ness," Kim chided, "It saved the world. Aren't you supposed to be returning the wheelchair while I pack?"

Other than the smirk, Shego ignored the question. "Actually, if he _is_ gonna change, it might be for the worse. I mean... would the old sidekick have _killed_ mister and missus asparagus?"

"No..." The teen hero sighed. He'd had his reasons of course, reacting more than thinking, but still... "I guess he did look a little like Zorpox, but... you think this is going to turn into a 'power corrupts' story?"

"As long as it doesn't turn into a 'misguided get-his-girlfriend-back' story. He ranged between annoying and evil when he was bad. I've had enough of the former."

Kim pointedly refused to inquire about the latter, as the former villainess no doubt intended. "Well, he's probably in the best place to help him deal."

"I take it the place is a secret."

"Yeah. Sorry, but it's not really my secret to share."

Shego only shrugged. "Fair enough." Her demeanour didn't imply whether she was respecting Kim's wish, Ron's privacy, or simply didn't give a damn.

The teenager flipped her backpack closed. "All done."

"What, already?"

"Uh, yeah. My entire wardrobe was destroyed, remember? I was surprised the battle suit survived, but I guess fate took care of that."

"The nerdlinger can always make you another one."

"It took two years to make, and it was still glitchy after a few hours' use."

"Huh. Did you replace your purple outfit yet?"

"Monique is hooking me up. She put the original ensemble together." Kim didn't mention Rufus played a part in it, certain that Shego would crack wise about it if she did.

"Think she can make time for me, too?" The green girl pinched her outfit. "I need to expand my wardrobe beyond this and that stupid dress."

"I've yet to see you in a little black dress..."

"Yours is gone, I assume." Shego sniggered at Kim's forlorn expression. "Hell with it, we're gonna go shopping. LBDs for both of us, and your momma too, if she'll come. May as well reinsert some of my ill-gotten gains into the economy."

"You didn't have to give it all up?"

Another shrug, this time with a smirk. "Saving modern civilisation has its perks. I don't suppose _you_ got anything tangible out of it."

"That's not how I do things and you know it."

Shego shook her head. "Still got some growing up to do, Princess," she said in an identical tone to her earlier comment about growing up.

Kim growled with false irritation and pointed to the door. "Wheelchair, Shego. Off you go."

The green girl saluted, bowed, then blew a rasberry and slipped out before Kim could find something to throw at her.

* * *

><p>Shego couldn't resist exploring the other redhead's limits the next morning, so it was no surprise that Ann's expression was as bedraggled as her helmet hair.<p>

"You promised me you weren't going to try and break us both," the older woman complained as she tugged her skirt back down once she was off the bike.

Shego's grin was partially obscured by her helmet until she pulled it off. "And I meant it."

"Jumping from an overpass onto a freight rig to shave twenty seconds off our travel time is not normal, in fact it's quite illegal!"

"That's not why I did it!"

Ann stared at the girl still straddling the motorcycle, then sighed. "You did it because it's fun." Shego raised a hand in a so-so gesture, before twisting it into an encouraging wave. "...Because it's fun to provoke me."

"In various ways. I'm expanding my repertoire. Also, I saw it in a graphic novel about vampires."

"I'd appreciate it if you limit your provocations on the road to dodging cars..." the neurosurgeon's eyes widened as a thought occurred, "And that doesn't include oncoming traffic!"

Shego's face turned serious for a moment. "Ooh, yeah, you don't have to worry about _that_. That only ends well in the movies." The smirk returned. "Believe me, I've tried."

Ann took a deep breath, aware that everything her companion was saying was designed to get under her skin. The truth was, she was tempted to respond by suggesting she'd find a way to make her stop talking, maybe find something better to do with that sharp tongue. Her common sense vetoed the idea, given the fact that they were currently in the parking lot of her workplace.

Instead she asked, "What happened to the... hovercraft? Hover car, flying car..."

"Kimmie's learning how to fly it. Or she already has, and now she's snooping around the rest of the lair, checking for doomsday weapons Global Justice might've missed. Or something."

"I'm still not happy about you whisking her off to the mountains without telling me."

"Hey, you're not the boss of her."

"No, I'm worse. I'm her mother."

"Okay, so you'll _always_ be the boss of her. But only because you're such a nice boss to start with." Shego leaned half off her transport to peck Ann on the lips.

The redhead surprised herself by not shying away from the contact, until she caught a familiar scent on the green girl's breath. "You went down on Kimmie this morning, didn't you."

"The classic provocations work too."

Ann tried not to smile. "Hmm. Well, I'd like to see this lair of yours. If I don't finish work too late, I'll give Kim a call and _she _can pick me up."

"What about your manmeat?" Shego had taken to using the phrase to refer to both Ann's husband and her sons.

"I'll tell James to take the boys out for dinner. Now things are getting back to normal, they've been theorizing other applications of the Stoppable's household appliances. I'm sure they could use a break." Ann didn't have to be particular about who needed the break.

"It'll be a pleasure to have you," Shego said, donning her helmet once more as the double entendre registered on Ann's face, then added, "You can make us dinner!"

The former villainess slapped down her visor, gunned the engine and shot off before Ann could articulate a response. Who knew getting the last word with the Possible women would be so much fun?

Shego felt happier than she had in a long time. She was free of the consequences of her criminal activities and her two favourite women in the world loved her, each in their own way.

Now all she had to do is not fuck it up.


	5. Opinions

Now that Ann was interested in seeing the place, Kim and Shego spent the rest of the morning planning what to do around the lair, and the afternoon putting plans into action. Despite Shego's parting words, it was her idea to prepare a meal for the elder redhead. As long as Kim stuck to what she knew she could do, the pair of them believed they could present something edible come dinnertime.

When Ann's call came, Kim took the hovercraft to pick her up, wearing a dress as much for the cast as the occasion. Her mother appreciated a ride with actual seats, as well as the view. "They must have every construction company in the tri-city area working on Middleton," she commented as she looked out over the side of the vehicle. Despite the final showdown in Upperton, Middleton had been hard hit, likely due to it being Kim Possible's home.

"They should be prioritizing the necessities across all three cities first," Kim grumbled, "But the city council is expecting a boost in tourism. The hometown of Kim Possible, yadda yadda..."

"Your father mentioned an increased interest from the global scientific community as well. Apparently, the diversity of our local research efforts has gone largely unnoticed until now."

"Well, I guess that's something."

Ann turned back to her daughter. "What's bothering you, dear?"

"It's something Shego's pointed out, more than once. I've travelled all over the world in the process of saving it over and over, but... I hardly ever get to stop and smell the roses."

"Kimmie, you're a grown woman, and you're no longer living under your father's roof-"

"Because the roof and everything under it was smashed by an alien war machine."

"Regardless, it's not like you have to worry about curfew anymore."

The teen hero sighed. "To be honest, it's not just the roses that bother me. It's the weeds."

"Meaning?"

"Some people are trying to help their fellow man because it's the right thing to do, but others are doing it for selfish reasons. If they're helping at all. Politicians, corporations, militaries. Right now, everyone's scrambling to recover the Lorwardian technology from all those war machines, and whatever's left of the spaceship. Some say it's to help defend against another attack, or a counterattack, or simply to improve the lot of the human race. But the truth is it's only a matter of time before we start using it against each other. Once the truce is over, it's only a matter of time before the villains get their hands on it, and I can't help worrying that mad science will have an edge over the rest."

Ann was surprised by the teenager's diatribe. "What brought this on?"

"Drakken's computer. Global Justice copied everything on it, but it's all still there in case he wants to use it for legitimate work. Some of it already _was_ legal. His cocoa-moo formula is in there. Anyway, I hooked Wade up, and he found some interesting stuff. It's wierd, but I always thought Drakken wouldn't know what to do with the world if he ever actually conqoured it."

"You mean he _did_?"

"Plans. Ideas. To-do lists. Do away with money altogether. Compliance chip all the over-priviledged and make them do menial labour; the president would spend the rest of his life trimming hedges."

"I suppose that's appropriate, but he could hurt himself anything sharp. What about unclogging toilets?"

"Drakken's plan, not mine."

"I always thought the first thing to do after taking over the world involved shooting all the lawyers."

"Yeah, with truth rays. He was looking for a way to make the effect permanent, the only way to reverse it would be to shoot them again."

Once again and not for the last time, Ann was baffled by the peculiarities of mad science. "I don't see how that's possible with just a ray, but I'll take your word for it, especially after seeing its effect on you that night. You know, your father says there's a difference between accepted science and actual science. We accept the theory of gravity to be true because of all the evidence, even though we can't prove it directly... but we only know a few per cent of how the universe actually works. I suppose you _need_ to be a little crazy to bridge the two."

"I remember getting that speech," Kim said, smiling. "I think I was nine and asking about god because of Ron and hanukkah."

"What else did your father say?"

"To keep an open mind and question everything. So I read and researched the torah, and the bible and quran. Did you know someone made a graph of all the contradictions in the bible? The hardline athiests consider it proof of a manmade god while the religious fanatics simply denounce it. Only a few people actually investigated and tried to explain the contradictions, but I don't think anyone paid them much attention."

"People don't always think for themselves," Ann explained. "We always wanted to avoid passing on any preconceptions, so we've done our best to let you and the boys find your own paths. Have you made any decisions in that regard?"

"Oh, I'm a humanist," Kim declared assuredly. "If I, personally, can do anything, I have to believe humanity as a whole can, too."

"And god?"

The teen hero shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I dunno, he might exist; but I'm not going to base my faith on texts written thousands of years ago. I mean, I can appreciate following tradition, but I'm going to live my life based on my own _modern_ morality. We were so ignorant, just a few centuries ago! How else were we going to interpret the world we live in?" Kim was silent for a moment, then continued in a quieter voice. "It's a shame, but organised religion seems to have been the biggest thing holding us back, the biggest cause of suffering through the ages. And yet so many are still into it..."

"Faith is responsible for many wonderful, incredible things, too." Ann was proud of her daughter for coming to her own conclusions, but didn't want her to become too narrow-minded. That was a danger no matter what one believed.

"I know. It just doesn't seem to balance out, though."

"That depends on how you measure it. I've watched strong patients fade away on the operating table, while those not expected to survive the surgery pull through and return to a relatively normal life. Being religious, or not, doesn't seem to make a difference in the long run. I've heard quite a few claims to seeing a light or feeling the presence of god. Sometimes I think that's my fault because I was digging around in their brains, but sometimes... perhaps it's merely comforting to believe something is looking after us, but that doesn't mean it isn't true."

"God is personal," Kim recalled from her religious studies.

"I'm curious, what does Shego believe in?"

"Chaos theory. But religious hypocrisy tweaks her as much as the next person with a brain."

It didn't take much longer to reach the lair, Kim guiding the craft into its usual space between its newer three-seater varient and Shego's thematically-painted jet. On the other side of the bay, Shego's motorcycle and a sporty red convertible were parked. Ann suspected there would be no point in asking why the former villainess wasn't using the car to ferry her to and from work.

Using only one crutch to move around, the younger redhead led the other through a short corridor guarded by jagged sliding doors at both ends. "This is the evil equivalent to the living room," Kim explained as they entered, and watched as her mother took in the wide space and high ceiling, the giant computer and the questionable green fluid that, on closer inspection, actually seemed to be contributing to the fresh smell of the place. The large round scientific console had been relocated to wherever Drakken was working now, the table ringed with lair controls in its place. Evil lairs were designed to be modular so you could have what you want, where you want; the whims of mad scientists had to be taken into account.

Kim took her mother down another corridor and through a larger door to arrive in the communal habitation area. The sound and smell of red meat frying in butter reached them as soon as they entered. The kitchen area took up the rest of the wall in which the door was set, and all the utensils and appliances were extra large. Shego was sprinkling rosemary into the pan, but Ann also noticed the many bunk beds that had been shoved towards the other walls for more space.

"I hope you had your own room," Ann remarked as she approached.

Shego paused in her culinary efforts long enough to wrap an arm around Ann's waist and kiss her enthusiastically. "Of course," she answered when she was done.

"Hey! Keep your eyes on the food!"

"I'm not you, cupcake. Pots don't blow up when I turn my back." Shego kissed Ann again to prove her point, since the doctor seemed to be enjoying the attention.

"Nothing's ever _exploded_ when I was in the kitchen, thank you very much," the teenager grumbled. "I just have trouble with fragile ingredients. I'm okay with electrical appliances now."

"Glad to hear it," Ann said, giving Shego a gentle shove back to the oven with a hand to the rear. "Maybe I should show you how to cook a few things before you go off to university and have to fend for yourself."

"Why don't you two make yourselves comfortable on the table?" Shego suggested as she flipped the portions of lamb with a fork.

"On?" Kim repeated.

"Yeah. All this food is for me. I expect a show while I eat."

"That explains the extra _curves_ you've been putting on."

Ann couldn't help smiling as the banter continued. Things between the girls seemed to be settling back to normal. Were they picking up where they left off during that tropical weekend? Was she as welcome now as before? Shego certainly gave that impression, and Kim had sounded like she was teasing rather than jealous. And as for Kim herself...

_I should tell her. Tell her everything. But not tonight. I'm not about to ruin tonight for either of them. Or... for myself._

The doctor stepped away from the couple as she fished out her phone and dialed James. "Hi honey, it's me. Yes, I'm there now, you should come see it sometime... I'm not sure you should bring them, there's still enough technology here for them to interfere with... haha, exactly. How are they? Good... yes, it looks like Shego's planning to wine and dine us both. Kim intends to stay a while, and... I may end up staying the night... exactly. Do you mind? I didn't think you would... well, consider it extra motivation for finding us a new place of our own. I love you too. You and the boys sleep tight, alright? Night."

Her daughter pounced on her as soon as she hung up. "You're staying the night?"

"If Shego will have me," Ann said, winking at the girl in question, and causing Kim to pout.

"What about me?"

The elder Possible turned her smirk on her daughter. "You want me too, do you?"

Kim's response was to place a hand on Ann's chest and push her against the counter next to the oven and Shego, before discarding her crutch and pressing her body firmly against her mother's.

"Now now, dear, we don't want to make Shego burn the food," Ann chuckled.

"But I want to eat something now," Kim whined, and proceeded to start nibbling on Ann's neck before she could ask exactly what the young lady intended to eat.

"I thought I taught you better than that. You know not to ruin your appetite by snacking before dinner."

"You're more of a dessert," Shego opined, barely maintaining enough attention on what she was cooking.

"Then she definitely shouldn't eat me yet." ..._Yet?_

The statement didn't pass Kim unnoticed either, teeth nipping sharply before leaving her mother's neck. "Just a little taste, then," the teenager compromised as her lips relocated to confront Ann's.

The doctor leaned down into the kiss without thinking. When Kim's tongue flicked gently at her teeth, she allowed it access without hesitation. She drank her daughter's moan and her passion began to rise in return.

"Holy crap," Shego breathed, too astounded by the display to smirk or grin. She watched as one of Ann's hands slid around Kim's back while the other went into her hair. What really stunned the green girl, however, was how _into _it the doctor was getting. "What exactly did you two get up to in the last year?"

Ann ended the kiss to answer, though Kim mewled in disappointment. "Let's just say Kimmie would have left quite a mess if she hadn't been wearing pants." She hugged her daughter tight as the vague explanation still caused Kim to bury her face back in her mother's neck, this time in embarrassment.

Shego stared open-mouthed at the redheads until the contents of the frying pan spat with increased fervor. The distracted cook struggled to flip the leg steaks back over while trying to watch Ann help Kim over to the table, not wanting to miss anything else that might happen in the immediate future. Disappointingly, Ann didn't have Kimmie sit in her lap; instead her inner doctor took over, fussing over her daughter's less obvious injuries and making sure her hug hadn't exacerbated them.

"Mom, I'm fine. And if I'm not, you can always kiss it better."

Shego's fork clattered into the frying pan and she cursed quietly as she carefully retrieved it.

"Kimmie, stop teasing Shego. She's feeding us tonight."

"Fine. But you know she deserves it."

Kim was trying to capitalize on maternal instinct, but Ann knew better. "It's not her fault she can heal so quickly."

"Yes, okay, fine. No sympathy for your battered, broken-"

"Bubblebutt," Shego finished, easily able to ignore Kim's glare.

"Oh, is that what you were referring to?" Ann asked. "I thought you considered yourselves even, where your injuries were concerned."

"We do, she's just grumpy. The old Fearless Ferret, Superguy argument... exceptional versus superpowered."

"You're just as human as the rest of us, Shego. You're just exceptional in a different way."

"Fearless Ferret versus Y-Men, then."

Kim's gaze turned curious. "You know a lot about comics, don't you?"

"Blame my brothers. Besides, we could empathize with the mutants in the early years. Back when we thought the opinions of our peers mattered." _Now_ Shego cast a glance in Kim's direction.

"Hey, I'm out of high school. I don't have to worry about the opinions of my former classmates anymore."

"But you've saved the world, _again_," Ann stressed, "From an even greater threat than Drakken's cybertronic toys."

"I only helped," her daughter was quick to say, "Same as Shego and Drakken. It's Ron who really ended the threat."

Shego snorted. "And now he's vanished, and though Drakken's loving the attention, the press will want to chase after the pair that are actually hot." The green girl turned her gaze to the doctor. "Which is why Kimmie's welcome here whenever and for as long as she likes. This place may not have been a secret to Team Possible or Global Justice, but the rest of the world should have no idea. She's safe here." The smirk returned. "Not as private as an island, but you two can still fuck like rabbits if you want."

Kim wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders. "Maybe we will. Without you."

"As long as I get all the details."

"Really?" The teenager didn't believe it.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd rather see it with my own eyes. But just knowing where your tongues have been... kissing you both will never be the same again."

Shego did not witness the lingering, curious glance the the redheads shared as she drained the boiled mini potatoes, added them to the frying pan to get the sauce all over them, then split the pan's contents across three plates already containing iceberg lettuce and baby tomatoes... a meal she was surprisingly proud of, perhaps due to who she was cooking for.

She _did_ notice the blush they both bore as she delivered the plates to the table. For some reason, she did not feel compelled to call them on it. "Dinner is served," was all she said, and started pouring the wine as her guests settled into their seats.


	6. Desserts

Dinner was surprisingly devoid of sexual innuendo. Shego dominated the conversation at Ann's urging, being curious about her host's philisophical views on life. As the doctor had hoped, it offered some insight into the girl herself.

"I suppose you'd have no problem if civilisation ended tomorrow, even now you're on the straight and narrow," the elder redhead mused after the former villainess explained the basics of chaos theory.

Shego shook her head until she finished chewing. "Nope. If it wasn't for poppa Possible's rockets - and the Lorwardian tech someone somewhere must be reverse engineering - I wouldn't be surprised if everything fell apart before we ever set foot on Mars. The irony is, no matter how bad it gets, stories of us walking on the moon would probably survive. There are tribes in the amazon that know about it. They might not have seen it or even understand how, but they know."

Kim mumbled around her own mouthful before swallowing to add, "I've been asked about that more than once, when I came across isolated communities during my missions. That's why I had the Armstrong vid saved on my old kimmunicator. I loved seeing the looks on their faces as they watched."

"That does sound like fun," Ann said. "Did you tell them you've been up there yourself?"

"She probably doesn't like to brag," Shego sniggered.

"I've only been in orbit, not to the moon," the teenager was quick to specify while shooting Shego a semi-serious scowl.

"The moon's in orbit..."

"I think all your flying around has ruined your appreciation of distance. It's well over two hundred thousand miles to the moon. That's, like, flying around Earth 30 times over. And Mars is... a hundred and seventy times _that_ on a _good_ day."

"Whatever you say, cupcake."

Ann steered the conversation back on track before her daughter came up with another retort. "So is your point of view based on chaos theory, or is it simply your own predaliction for mayhem?"

"Mmmboth. The thing about chaos theory is that there's still a pattern at work, it's just too complicated for most of us to make sense of. The way the world - our civilisation - works is a lot more fragile than people like to think. A big enough war, natural disaster or financial crisis is all it would take; and these days, the last looks most likely."

"You minored in economics while getting your child development degree?" Kim teased. Ann blinked in surprise at that titbit of information, making her wonder what Shego had originally intended to do with her life.

"I don't need to know how the intricacies of Wall Street work to know how bankers behave, princess. For instance, the American housing market peaked last year, and now the bubble's bursting, and it's going to drag the rest of our economy down with it. Because America's such a big deal in the global market, it'll lead to a worldwide recession, and the whole system could collapse like dominoes."

Kim gave it some thought, then shrugged. "On the upside, no more Wall Street."

"True, that. The bankers will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes, not the lawyers. If there _is_ a revolution. I used to think the average shmoe was too chicken to rise up against the system, but after voting for the most moronic president in history _twice_, I think the biggest problem is stupidity."

"That might be a little too harsh," Ann disagreed. "There's a difference between stupidity and ignorance."

Shego snorted. "Either way, our failing education system can take at least some of the blame."

"That's why James and I didn't complain when Kimmie applied to colleges abroad."

This time it was Shego's turn to be surprised. "Oh. Like where?"

"I remember London and Venice were on the list..."

The green girl turned a raised eyebrow in the teenager's direction. "What's in Venice?"

"They've got a great humanities program."

Conversation moved on to Kim's plans for the future. Shego scoffed at the assumption that the heroine would prefer a lifestyle involving less adrenaline than her world-saving efforts tended to produce, and Ann was notably quiet when the girls expected her to voice an opinion concerning Kim's safety. Instead she brought up Betty Director and Global Justice, which Shego grudgingly admitted she would understand, if not directly support. She refused to rise to Kim's suggestion of having someone on the inside, let alone signing up with GJ herself.

As both speech and consumption wound down, Ann could see the look growing on Shego's face. "What's for dessert?" she asked, assuming a lecherous response.

Instead, Shego merely grinned and visited the fridge and cutlery drawer before returning to the table and placing a bowl of chocolate mousse in front of Kim. The teenager's face lit up at the sight. "Is this all for me?"

"Nope, you're sharing," the green girl corrected as she dragged her chair closer to Kim's. "Scoot over here, your majesty," she told Ann.

"Only two spoons?" the doctor asked as she complied.

"Yep. With Kimmie being the invalid I figure she should be the focus of attention tonight. We are going to take turns feeding you, princess. While one of us does, the other has a spoon for themselves."

"Spankin'," Kim giggled as she watched Shego dig a spoon into the dessert. "Ooh, it's the gooey kind... hey!" Her lover had put the spoon in her own mouth. "I thought that was for me," she said, pouting.

"Mm-hm," was all Shego could say with her mouth full, then leaned over and kissed the younger redhead.

Ann was too enraptured by the sight to scoop out a spoonful for herself. As Kim's surprise faded, she took Shego's face in her hands and sucked greedily on the older girl's tongue until all the chocolate it bore was gone. "Mmm, yummy," she said when she was done, then blushed. "Is... is that what it's like when..."

"It didn't squirt out of the end of my tongue, Kimmie," Shego answered with a chuckle, knowing what the teenager was trying to ask. "And boys tend to taste saltier."

"Well, that depends on their diet," Ann clarified.

Kim giggled, then outright laughed. "Good thing I never tried it with Ron, then. He likes the taste of cheese way more than I do."

"You didn't?" Ann asked, frankly surprised. "You were together for a year..."

"And for a long time," Kim sighed, "We were just best friends who kissed. Things didn't really pick up until... I started wondering what I really wanted..." Her hesitant line of thought was interrupted by a snort from the former villainess. "What?"

"I wonder if he's ever blown a Bueno Nacho waiter for a free naco..."

"Ew! Shego!"

"What? The girl planning to spend the night in bed with two women, one of them her own mother, doesn't enjoy the thought of gay men?"

"Gay Ron, _so_ not. But..."

"Yeees?"

"Harry Crocker and Draco Didbad."

Shego almost choked on the incredulous guffaw that rose up her throat. "From those magic school movies?"

"Well, it could be worse," Ann supposed. "It could have been the men from 24 Dozen."

Kim was fairly sure she hadn't actually seen that movie. "Is that the one based on that famous Spartan battle?"

"Based on the comic based on the battle," Shego answered. "A bunch of sweaty muscled men, often moving in slow motion. If it hadn't been for the beards..."

"You like beards?" Kim asked her mother. "Dad's never had one."

"I suppose that's why I don't dislike them, for the sake of variation." Suddenly Ann remembered what she was supposed to be doing, and dipped her spoon into the mousse. "I never seriously considered sleeping with another man since we got married. It wasn't until Shego and her perverse mind came along that I started fantasizing again." The spoon moved to her lips, but paused as she had another thought; an action that had both the other girls almost gasping in frustrated anticipation. "I wonder how many sweaty muscled men I could take..."

Kim's mouth hung open almost as wide as her eyes at the thought of her mother trying to pleasure three hundred men. Ann smiled, took her mouthful of mousse and leaned over to take advantage of that open mouth. Kim grunted in surprise, but soon recovered enough to pull her mother deeper into the chocolate kiss.

Shego forgot to get a spoonful of mousse for herself as well.

* * *

><p>When the bowl was empty, Ann followed in Shego's wake as the green girl carried Kim to the bedroom. Despite her injured state, the younger redhead was trying to make the most of the situation, and had managed to remove Shego's belt (which Ann automatically picked up when it fell to the floor) and unzip the catsuit by the time they reached their destination.<p>

the bedroom was a mix of greens with the occasional dash of turqouise, punctuated by ebony furniture with cream-coloured surfaces. A floor lamp with multiple spotlights was the only source of illumination, leaving everything beyond the bed and dresser in shadow. Ann wasn't sure if it was a room or a cave, but it was warm enough to be comfortable without being claustrophobic.

Shego set Kim down just long enough to unzip her dress and let it fall to the floor - proving the teenager was wearing nothing underneath - before sweeping her off her feet again to lay her down on the bed. As Kim settled into place, Shego turned and dragged Ann into a heated kiss, yanking the doctor's white coat off her shoulders and tugging it down until it fell from the elder redhead's arms. Once her hands were free, they continued the work her daughter had begun, until Shego's catsuit was hanging from her hips. Then it was Ann's turn to have her dress pulled from her body.

Kim, who had been enjoying the show, paused her self-molestation as Shego stepped back to admire the view. "You wore lingerie to work?"

Ann put her hands on her hips and turned slowly and seductively to show off. "Actually I keep it in the office, just in case."

Shego asked the next question, "Since when?"

"Oh, long before you wanted to get into my panties. James used to pay me a little visit every now and then before the kids, and... well, since having my wicked way with _Miss_ Go, he's started up again."

"Sooo," Kim said dubiously, "Sex with Shego has actually improved things between you and dad?"

"On a physical level, certainly. In fact I've been thinking of doing something more for him... which reminds me. You have to tell me about Vivian Porter, sometime."

"Uh, okay..." It took a moment for the inference to register in Kim's brain. "Wait. Are you planning to..."

"Test the waters," Ann answered with obvious amusement.

"Who's Vivian Porter?" Shego asked.

"A very intelligent and beautiful blonde that works at the space center."

"Oooh, poppa Possible has a crush, huh? Well, I dunno if I wanna share my redheads."

The redheads in question stared at her without commenting.

"Except, y'know, with each other," Shego amended.

"Uh-huh," Kim said as Ann tried to hide her smile.

With a frustrated growl, the green girl yanked the doctor back into her embrace and kissed her roughly before saying, "Go kiss your little girl while I get naked, naughty momma."

Ann only took one step away from Shego, then shimmied her hips left and right as she eased down her underwear, conveniently worn over the garter belt, baring her ass to the former villainess and showing Kim that her pubic hair was still in the shape of a diamond. She didn't step out of her heels until she was kneeling on the bed beside her daughter.

As soon as Ann was in reach, Kim pulled her down on top of her - the doctor had approached her less damaged side - and all but wrestled her mother into position, a stockinged leg manouvered between her own by a hand on her ass, as the other hand yanked at a bra strap, simultaniously baring a breast and bringing Ann's lips into kissing range. Shego had difficulty finishing undressing, her attention diverted by the frenzied rush and muffled moaning.

"You're so hot," Kim gasped when she finally took a moment to breath. Ann had been grinding against her thigh, and the heat coming from her crotch was obvious against her bare skin. The statement only served to impassion Ann further, kissing deeper, her dryhumping now leaving a wet stain on her daughter's thigh, exciting the teenager even more.

Finally naked, Shego lay on the less occupied side of the bed, where she could now see Kim's hand squeezing Ann's bare breast. Deciding not to get involved until invited, she started stroking herself as Ann levered higher in relation to Kim so her daughter could take the exposed breast into her mouth. The other must have been set free from its cup at some point, for Kim was soon switching her attention back and forth between the two, with Ann encouraging her breathlessly.

The neurosurgeon gasped and groaned as fingers abruptly entered her and slowly twirled around their moist confinement. Ann opened her eyes and stared down into Kim's, resisting the urge to clamp down on her daughter's fingers and let herself climax then and there. The problem was, she wasn't sure how long she could keep it up. "You're not making this easy, bubblebutt," she admitted, her voice and body quivering from the excitement Kim was evoking in her.

Kim's response was a final, languid swirl of her fingers before removing them, causing Ann to shudder. The elder redhead then shuddered again as she watched the younger suck greedily on the same fingers until the juices in which they'd just been swimming filled her mouth; a mouth Ann had to kiss as soon as possible. She almost came again as she tasted herself on her daughter's tongue.

Apparently Shego was less able to contain herself, as she began gasping and bucking beside them. The Possibles broke their kiss to watch the orgasm.

"Couldn't contain yourself, Shego?" Kim asked as soon as the green girl's spasming had subsided.

"Just the first of many, cupcake," Shego purred, "The way you two are going."

"Speaking of which," Ann told her, "You should get over here and kiss our Kimmie. I'll be busy elsewhere." Without waiting for a response, she started nibbling and gently sucking her way down Kim's neck, licking at the hollow of her throat, before focusing her efforts on her daughter's breasts.

She was vaguely aware of the shift of weight as Shego was finally moved to comply, but Ann was currently caught up in the way Kim's back arched whenever she took an entire breast into her mouth and sucked hard on the whole thing. It added a whole new level to the experience, her daughter reacting exactly as she would if their positions were reversed. She dragged her fingertips around and across Kim's ribcage as she went from one breast to the other and back again.

Eventually those small mounds were left behind in Ann's journey downward. Her hands, lips and tongue explored the her daughter's abdomen, marvelled at the muscles reacting to her touch. The teenager's legs were already spread wide, hips twisting to maintain contact between her mother and her most sensitive areas. By the time the doctor reached the horny teenager's crotch, her sex was so hot and wet she could practically taste it already.

Both Kim and Shego were watching as Ann leaned down for her first real taste. One side, then the other, attempting to curtail the ongoing overflow; then the tongue dipped deep into the well, taking its fill before trailing up the center to Kim's most sensitive spot. The heroine shuddered so fiercely as her mother's lips locked on, that Shego placed a hand on her belly to keep her in place. One of Ann's hands joined it there, the other sending a single digit into Kim's moist confines, barely moving at all, there solely to apply the pressure of its presence.

The sight of her mother's face staring up at her from between her legs, coupled with the sensations being stoked there, made it completely, totally and utterly impossible for Kim to control herself. Thunder erupted from the bottom of her throat as she filled Ann's mouth with lightning, the younger redhead all but thrashing due to the ministrations of the elder. And the incestuous parent was right behind her, without even touching herself, thrilled beyond measure by the reactions she had just evoked.

As first times went, it was both over too soon and just long enough. Kim's gasps for air were interrupted when Ann's mouth rejoined hers, a sharing of flavour that seemed to punctuate these events.

"What was that about containing yourself, Kimmie?" Shego asked, somehow managing a trace of sarcasm in a voice full of awe and arousal.

"As you said," Ann answered instead, "The first of many."


	7. Relatives

_WARNING: This chapter contains child abuse triggers, this time not merely referencial._

* * *

><p>Kim awoke with Shego's arm draped across her waist, but her mother's presence on her other side was absent. The teenager dozed for an uncertain amount of time, only becoming more alert when the elder Possible did not return. Once sufficiently roused by concern, Kim eased out of the bed, hobbled over to her crutches and went in search of Ann.<p>

She found her leaning against the lair's open front door, still naked, staring into the dawn. A wide shaft of sunlight was all that lit the room, Ann's silhouette a collection of sexy curves cast upon the opposite wall. She heard her daughter's approach, but barely glanced away from the view as she said, "Good morning, Kimmie."

"Morning. Why're you up so early?"

"I wanted to see this," the doctor nodded at the dawn, her arms crossed until her daughter manouvered herself into her embrace. Kim had her back to her in order to share the view, but she still twisted her head around to plant a morning kiss on her lips.

"No fair," Kim hummed with false petulance, "You already brushed your teeth."

"I don't mind," her mother assured her, kissing her again, deeper, as her hug grew tighter. Then they both returned their attention to the dawn, it's light reaching closer to the tri-city sprawl below.

A minute's silence passed before Ann spoke again. "There's something I think I should tell you, after last night."

"How are you feeling about it?" Kim asked, too relaxed for the moment to become nervous. "I know how things can feel different the morning after... it's okay if you don't want to do it again."

Ann couldn't help smiling at her daughter's consideration. "It's not that. I certainly want to take some time to think about it. I can't say I regret it..." A hand slid down and around Kim's hip to squeeze the nearest buttock, before returning to the embrace. "But it's related, and I think you should know."

"Know what?"

It took a moment for the neurosurgeon to organise her thoughts before she began. "You're aware that I have no contact with my parents." A pause as Kim nodded silently. "I've never really explained why that is."

"Dad said they treated you really badly."

"It didn't start out that way... at least, it didn't seem so at the time. They... weren't shy about about behaving sexually around me. And eventually... they began to include me."

"You mean they..."

"I mean." Ann regretted dampening the mood, but now she had started, she realised she _needed_ to have this conversation.

It took a moment for Kim to form a response, and her voice was barely above a whisper. "How old were you?"

"Old enough to know how to keep a secret," Ann hedged, "And for years, I did. They didn't hurt me, Kim. They explained everything, even that they weren't supposed to, but they told me to say if I got scared or if something hurt. They treated me... like I'd expect anyone to treat a lover, with care and respect."

"Respect? You were a child!"

"That's true, I was. It was a special, secret game and I enjoyed it." Ann sighed. "But as time went on, I eventually realised just how wrong it was, how badly people thought of it. One day, I asked them if I could stop. They agreed, but... I could tell they weren't happy. It didn't stop them from having sex while I was right there, and every time, they'd ask... and I didn't always say no. It sounds silly, but in spite of everything it seemed rude to refuse." A deep breath. "I lost my virginity to my father when I was eleven. He didn't stop when I told him to... and my mother didn't stop him either. After that, I told them never again."

"Did... did it work?"

"At the time. Things went from too much attention to practically none. Today I think they may have been giving me space, but at the time it made me feel like my only value to them had been as a sex toy. That's when I started spending so much time out of the house, and doing so well at school, though I was also quite... promiscuous. I didn't have consensual intercourse until I was fifteen, but my reputation... because I was a straight A student, right up until I became valedictorian..." Ann chuckled at the memory, "They used to call me a 'grade A cocksucker'."

"You did that? You... fooled around and stuff, after what your parents had done?"

"Sex with people my own age... I was more experienced than they were, and I was always in control. That's something I never really had with my parents."

Kim thought about Shego, who was years older than her. It had never seemed important, but now she understood it wasn't the number of years between lovers as it was the ratios. No wonder they made a big deal about people being with someone half their age or old enough to be their parent, or grandparent. "You said... at the time."

Ann nodded. "Things at home were always distant during those years. Dad spent more nights out drinking, and mom... I don't know if it was denial or shame, but she pretended that nothing had ever happened. The point is, things between us were never the same again..." The doctor paused, sighing heavily with the weight of what she was about to say. Kim had experienced her mother's anger before - she'd been the cause of it more than once - but she couldn't remember ever hearing the resentment that was now in her voice.

"I don't know when my father heard about my reputation at school, but one night during my final term, he came home very drunk and started ranting and swearing at me about it. Then he tried to rape me. When I resisted, he tried to beat me, but I fought him off and locked myself in my room..."

Ann was forced to pause as Kim spun around to hug her tightly. She took a moment to hug back, stroking her daughter's hair with one hand as she continued. "As soon as I was sure they were both asleep, I packed what I needed and left. I spent the rest of term sleeping at a friend's house, ignored my mother when she came to my graduation... I've had no contact with them since. As far as I'm concerned, they're dead to me."

"You never talked to the police or social services?" Kim mumbled, her face buried in her mother's shoulder.

"No. It wasn't something I could make public, even today. If everyone knew... I didn't want to let it define me, or anyone's perception of me."

"I don't know what to say," Kim said, then tensed as a panic-inducing thought struck. "When Shego... and then I started... we... oh god..."

The embrace tightened into another hug. "Kimmie, it's okay. With you... it's completely different. You're old enough, and you've had experience; we both knew what we were doing. And I enjoyed every minute."

"Still, this is _so_ the..." Kim trailed off, then began again more calmly, "Y'know, 'so the drama' sounds kinda silly when using it about something so..." _icky?_ "Serious."

"Kim." Ann raised her daughter's chin with her free hand so she could look the younger redhead in the eye. "You once told me Shego did nothing to you that you didn't want yourself. It was the same for me, except I was too young to know _what_ I wanted. And... the reason it took me so long to do what we did last night, is because I wanted to be sure I _wasn't_ behaving like my parents."

Kim clearly believed that was impossible. "_Could_ you have?"

"I may have minored in psychology and settled my feelings about everything that happened, but the memories will always be there. Getting pregnant with you was the last time it caused any actual problems, and I got over it thanks to your father. He knew everything, knew I was worried that I could... pass it on, like victims sometimes do. James talked me through my fears, told me what a wonderful person I was and what a wonderful mother I'd be."

"He was right."

Moving her hand to her daughter's cheek, Ann said, "I know, sweetie. I just needed to be reminded." She didn't elaborate that she was referring to her conversation with Betty Director. She didn't want to embarrass Kimmie with the knowledge that her probable future employer knew as much as she did about their relationship. "Watching you grow up, I never felt any sexual attraction until _you_," she tapped the end of Kim's nose with a fingertip, "Showed an interest. But think about it: we enjoy this so much because it's _so_ naughty, so taboo, so _wrong_. I may not have desired to abuse you during your youth, but with my history, I can't say it didn't occur to me that I _could_, just because it would be so perverse to do so."

The teenager stared for a long moment as she assimilated that information, then reached up to the hand on her cheek and kissed the palm before looking back to her mother's eyes. "But you _didn't_, and that's what matters. And yeah, a lot of people would say what we did last night was perverse enough, but I won't regret it if you don't," she finished with conviction.

"Then neither will I," Ann answered, and leaned down for another kiss as the sun finished rising above the low horizon.

"Shower?" Kim eventually suggested.

"I'll soap your back if you soap mine."

"'Kay."

The jagged door clanked shut as they went back inside.

* * *

><p>Shego woke to find a note on the neighbouring pillow telling her that Kim had taken Ann back to work, and breakfast was waiting to be reheated in the microwave. She bathed, dressed and ate with gusto, hungry after last night's exercise.<p>

Her thoughts kept returning to last night, so she was horny throughout her morning rituals... but she was also sore, so she didn't do much about it except giggle at the contradiction her body kept presenting her with. _Giggling like a damn schoolgirl,_ she thought to herself with a mental sigh, _that's supposed to be Kimmie's job. Should be purring like the cat who got the cream instead, but Ann's got my purr beat. Looks like I'm the growler of the group._ She growled playfully once or twice, remembering how both redheads would respond to it, then giggled again. _Gah, stop that!_

The former villainess strolled into the central chamber, put her feet up and started filing her claws - a morning habit she'd practiced for years - as her thoughts eventually moved on from last night to now. What was on today's agenda?

The filing paused. "...What _am_ I gonna do with myself?" she asked aloud.

Her inner voice responded. _What's Kimmie doing today?_

"I dunno. Don't see her moping about the lair all day, though. Certainly not until the cast comes off."

_And after that?_

"Play hero until college, I guess."

_And what will __**you**__ be doing while she's off getting her higher education?_

Shego frowned at the thought, and not just because her inner voice was starting to sound like Drakken. Her thieving days were definitely over; she wasn't stupid enough to blow a pardon that let her keep her ill-gotten gains up to now. "Officially retired," she eventually muttered, "I can enjoy the world's best beaches the whole year round, if I want. And yeah, princess and her majesty will be busy doing their own thing, but..."

_Yeees?_

"...I need to find my own thing."

She started filing again as she considered what someone with her skillset could possibly do with her life. Teaching was the first thing that came to mind, since she'd enjoyed training Junior, and even Kimmie and her classmates as that nauseating alter ego, Miss Go. Was there an evil university? Did ordinary colleges have common sense courses? Using Your Brain 101?

_Meh. Perhaps some sort of security consultant._ She'd broken into so many places over the last few years. She could probably make another fortune in Middleton alone, though she had to admit most thieves didn't share her advantages. Yet by the same token, a place that could boast giving her difficulty breaking into it...

The green girl was startled as static erupted from the big screen behind her. The image quickly resolved, but Shego heard the voice before she turned to look, and cringed automatically.

"Ah, well done Mego, you've got it. Hello, sister!"

Shego swivelled around to face the screen, grinding her teeth the whole way. "What the hell are you doing, Hego?"

The overly buff blue-black-costumed superhero cleared his throat as he tried to alter the prepared speech in his head. "Well, after that whole viewscreen debacle with Aviarius and your recent heroic efforts-"

"I'm _not_ rejoining the team."

"...Oh."

A thinner figure popped up behind Hego's shoulder, his skin as purple as Shego's was green. "For the record, sis, I told him you wouldn't be interested. He's never listened to me, even when he should, which is pretty much ever since you left."

"How's Wego?" Shego asked with a sly smirk.

"Both fine," Hego answered as Mego huffed at the transfer of attention away from himself. "We've been helping rescue and relief efforts in Go City since the alien attack. I don't know exactly what part you played, but we thank you for putting an end to it so swiftly."

He sounded surprisingly earnest. Shego didn't like it. "Whatever."

"We, uh..." Hego looked aside as he rubbed the back of his neck, "...Saw the UN ceremony. Are you and Drakken...?"

"Oh, _hell_ no." On that count, the former villainess was happy to set her most annoying brother straight. "He's in New York to stay, as far as I know. Actually," and Shego's smirk returned as she spoke, "I'm with Kim Possible now."

"So you _are_ a hero again!"

"Uh, Hego," Mego poked the blue buffoon's shoulder, "I don't think she meant it that way." As Hego got the message and started staring with his mouth hanging open, the purple superhero turned his attention back to the screen. "Are you sure about this, Shego? When people hear about this, you know what they're gonna say about _me_. I'm aready the gay fantasy of the team-"

"It's not my fault you're still in the closet, Mego," the green girl snarked.

"I'm _not_ in any closet!" Mego declared, exasperated by a joke that was years old. "I'm all about the clam!"

"Mego!" Hego admonished, even as Shego burst out laughing. His brother's language had been enough to knock him out of his shocked stupor. "Seriously, Shego, there's a lot of people who still aren't comfortable about that sort of thing. Will you and Kim be okay?"

The unexpected question cut through Shego's humour. "Uh, yeah, sure. Kinda surprised you'd ask."

"Well... we've seen a lot of lives lost in the last few days. You may not be part of the team, but you're still our sister," Hego assured her, offering her the only kind of smile that didn't grate on her nerves.

"...Huh. Well, maybe I'm glad you're all okay, too."

"Including me?"

"Yes, Mego, including you. Ugh..." With a shiver, the former villainess got to her feet and walked over the console under the screen. "I'm switching you off before this gets too mushy."

"Give our regards to Kim," Hego managed to get across before Shego cut the feed. She took two steps to her chair, frowned, then went back to make sure her brothers couldn't spy on her even with the screen off.

As she resumed her seat and returned to her claw-filing, she wondered how she'd feel about sidekicking for Kim Possible.


	8. Conceptions

Kim returned to the lair and found Shego pacing back and forth with a frown on her face. "What's... wrong?"

The green girl didn't even look at her as she responded. "Reality's punching me in the face, is what's wrong. I actually started thinking about being a hero again. Self-interest was the only reason I helped with the Lorwardians, but now _everyone_ knows I used to be a good guy," she flung a hand in the direction of the screen, "And most of 'em think I am again. There are even people saying I've been one the whole time, sabotaging Drakken's plans from the inside! And it's pissing me off!"

"I remember a conversation not long ago when you admitted thinking about hero-ing again," the redhead pointed out, "For me."

That reminder earned Kim a frustrated glare from the former villainess. "_Because_ of you. There's a difference." A new thought brought her pacing to a halt. "Hell, just because I've been pardoned by the largest political body on the planet doesn't mean there aren't people out there who are still after me. Right now the only reason I can think of to start with the heroics again is to make people think I'm trying to balance the scales."

The teenager crossed her arms and raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Instead of _actually_ trying to balance the scales."

"Oh, I _did_ think about it. And the more I did, the more it sounded like one of my arguments with Hego about 'destiny' and 'using our powers responsibly' and all that jazz. There isn't much I regret about what I did since I switched sides, and most of it involves... well..."

Kim's expression softened with Shego's awkward glance in her direction. "You could still help."

"You're only saying that because _you_ would. The Superguy attitude without the powers." The green girl rolled her eyes as she started pacing again. "That's not me, princess. I'm not him, and I'm not team material like the Law League or Defender Initiative, so while the two of us teaming up for a day or a week might work, there's no guarantee my pride would survive making it official." A snort. "I'm not even the Fearless Ferret; I'm the Avenger with a glow instead of guns."

It took a moment for the teen hero to remember who that was. "That's the skull-obsessed guy whose family was murdered by the mob, right? But _you_ don't go on killing sprees. You're not a bloodthirsty vigilante, Shego."

"Kimmie, if the mob took you away from me, I'd spend the rest of my life killing every last one of 'em. The only heroic thing I'd do about it is warn the police to pull their insiders out before I start." Shego ignored the silence that followed, but was forced to stop when Kim stepped into her path and hugged her. The interruption was frustrating. "What?"

"You might not think of me as a teammate, but you _do_ consider me family."

The green girl frowned, replaying what she'd just said, and blinked when she reached the same conclusion. "I guess I do," she admitted grumpily, finally returning the hug. "The less annoying kind."

"The kind that gives you multiple orgasms."

"Among other things." Her lover was trying to break her mood, Shego knew, but she wasn't quite ready to let it go. "I'm not your kind of hero, Kim, but... I dunno... I guess I can try it my way. And when you go to college, I'll tie up any loose ends left by the pardon."

"You don't want my help with that?" Kim asked. "With my rep-"

"Nah, not something I want to mix you up in. My record doesn't start with Drakken, you know. Should do it myself." _And there might be things I have to do that shouldn't involve you._ "For now, I... just want to enjoy a little normalcy," the former villainess added to forestall any questions.

If Kim was aware of the deflection, she chose to accept it. "I can think of something normal we can do... other than what you thought the moment I said that."

Shego's smirk widened. "To be honest, I'm too damn sore after last night. What were _you_ thinking?"

"An actual date."

"Ah. Well, we have to go buy our new wardrobes first."

"I know just where to start."

* * *

><p>As Kim had promised Ron, she had told Monique about her secret relationship with Shego when she'd come to visit her in the hospital... <em>after<em> her girlfriend had been discharged. She explained it as she should have to Ron from the start, starting with Shego's visits to her home, the respect that grew despite the ups and downs of their on-the-side interaction, and how it grew to affection, then more.

Monique's eyes and mouth grew increasingly wide as her idol explained the increasingly intimate nature of her relationship with her former archfoe, until the stunned girl sufficiently recovered her wits to ask why Kim had never told her. She was somewhat mollified to learn that even Ron hadn't known until recently, but when they got to the bombshell that Kim was now officially with Shego... well, Ron had taken it better. In fact, after Monique stormed out, it had crossed the teen hero's mind that her (former?) sidekick must have been expecting it since the night after graduation.

Now, as Kim and Shego approached Club Banana, the former told the latter to browse while she went to mend the fence.

Monique looked up from her magazine when the doorway chimed. "Welcome to Cl... Kim."

"Hey, Monique. Can we talk?" Kim asked as she approached the counter.

The black girl eyed Shego warily as the woman smirked and wandered into the racks of merchandise. "I'm not sure," she finally admitted.

"The store doesn't seem busy..." The place seemed empty, in fact.

"I guess a lotta consumers aren't quite ready to resume their normal routines. The discovery of hostile aliens IRL can do that."

"Even after all the movies we made about it," the redhead replied, a little nervously. Thanks to her heroic hobby, she'd been aware of intelligent, space-faring alien life for a few years now, but had felt obligated not to share such information.

"Uh-huh," Monique deadpanned. "I talked to Ron."

Kim blinked at the lack of segue. "When?"

"He came in to say bye before he took off."

"Was he okay?"

The assistant manager's expression turned contrite. "He explained a few things. Things I didn't give you the chance to. Sorry."

Kim mentally sighed in relief. "No big. I obviously need more practice explaining me and Shego."

"He said your mom knows," the black girl mentioned.

"She found out, but the rest of the fam's still in the dark."

"You gotta tell 'em soon, girl. Your fame has hit the fan - hers too - and it's only a matter of time before it goes public."

"I will."

Monique took a deep breath and asked in a cheerier voice, "So... you gonna introduce me to miss mean'n'green?"

Kim turned and called, "Shego?"

"Not to be confused with _Miss_ Go," the former villainess was quick to point out as she came into view and approached the teenagers.

"I figured," Monique assured her. "There's no Middleton High left for you to teach at, anyway... though it does bring up some interesting questions about your life choices, if you really do have the cred for the job."

"Yeah, we're not going there." Shego leaned against the counter. "So, you two kiss and make up?"

"Uh..." the black girl stuttered.

"Shego, don't tease."

The former villainess treated her lover to a scathing glance. "I already cut down on the taunting, now you want the teasing too? Sheesh. I only wanted to know if I'd missed it."

Monique blinked. "The making up?"

"I doubt it," Kim muttered. "I'm not kissing Monique, Shego."

"Why not? She's hot. Want me to do it?"

"Shego..."

"How about it Monique? Which one of us would you rather kiss?"

"Wh... neither!" the center of attention declared. "You're TT!"

"Totally Together," Kim explained.

Shego smirked at the assistant manager. "We're not exclusive."

"Well, more exclusive than before," the redhead corrected her.

"We are?"

"I don't want you shacking up with random men you meet on the beach! We're officially together, now."

"Oh, I'd already assumed _that_ much. But we can still share, right?" The green girl winked at Monique.

"I'm not..." Kim stopped short. Shego and family aside, Monique was the person she cared about most. After dating her best friend for a year, arguing that she was just a friend seemed hollow; why had it never occurred to her that Monique was a hottie? The teen hero had checked out her fellow cheerleaders more than once in the last few years, and it was easier to admit their hotness than it would have been before Shego had showed that kind of interest in her...

_Because she's black?_ Kim didn't think she was racist. Was there such a thing as racial sexual preference? Regardless, now Shego had brought it up...

"Monique? You're okay about me being... a lesbian, or bisexual, or Shegosexual or whatever I am. Right?"

"Oh, yeah... well, I'm not sure about the Shego part," Monique pointed at the superpowered woman, "And I reserve the right to hate you if I decide you're no good for her."

Shego shrugged a single shoulder. "Fair enough."

Monique returned her attention to Kim. "But, yeah, you like who you like and that's all there is to it. I was tweaked because I thought you'd totally jacked Ron up, but that was before hearing his side of the story."

"Okay, next question: do you think I'm attractive?"

"...I've been thinking about that, actually," the black girl admitted, "Wonderin' what I might've done if you'd suggested we could be more than friends. Back when we met and I was fangirling, I mighta tried anything. Then I got to know the everyday you."

"And?" Shego prompted.

"I'll admit you're hella hot, but do I wanna piece o' that? Kim, if I was gonna experiment, it'd be with you; but I just don't think I'm up for it. Especially when you have a _significant_ other."

"Well, it's still nice to hear," Kim admitted with a smile aimed at her best girl friend. "And the offer stays open, so you know."

"Even if it's just to watch," Shego added, snaking an arm around Kim's waist to pull her close before cupping a breast through the redhead's T-shirt.

"I thought you said you were still sore from last night," Kim said, smacking the offending hand until it stopped squeezing and dropped away.

"You didn't say _you_ were. I could do you in a changing room right now, if 'Nique wants."

"How about we do what we actually came here to do, and buy some clothes?"

"Yes, princess," Shego sighed in defeat before standing and looking to the assistant manager. "Kimmie needs datewear... and I guess two of pretty much everything else."

"Why only two?" the redhead asked.

"Because that's the core of every wardrobe; wear one while you wash the other. You're already expanding on it with a dress you'd never be able to afford yourself; I just haven't decided if I want it to be a little black one, or something like the midnight blue you had last year."

"Oh! You're paying?"

"Damn straight. If I let you buy your own clothes, your fashion sense might get involved," the green girl said with an insincere sneer.

"Hey!"

"Monique, how much _pink_ did she buy in the last year?"

"Less than the year before," the black girl answered diplomatically.

"Hmm. Well, the new missionwear _was_ an improvement over those drab pants..."

"I put that outfit together!" Monique enthused as she came around the counter, put her arm through Shego's and led her to the appropriate area of the store, leaving Kim to follow. "Though would you believe Rufus brought me the design?"

"I always knew the rat was some sort of mutant."

"Oh no, girl, don't you go dissin' the Rufus!"

"You don't know how often that little penis metaphor saved the day."

"Guess that wasn't a good thing from your perspective..."

Kim chose not to point out that Rufus had copied the design from the Fashionistas.

The three girls spent the rest of the morning selecting outfits for Kim to try on, Monique and Shego continuing to bond in the meantime. The pair shared a sarcastic wit honed with practice, and the redhead was glad she did not fall victim to it, instead listening to Monique bemoan her poor taste in men and Shego flagrantly insisting she give the other team a try. This culminated in the former villainess sandwiching the assistant manager between herself and the wall and treating the poor girl to one of her breathless-inducing kisses.

Monique recovered to see Kim giggling at the sight, and had to ask, "You really don't mind when she does somethin' like that?"

"I know if I - or you - told her to stop, she would. Shego likes to push everyone's boundaries, is all. But more importanly, no matter who else enters the equation, we know we're in love with each other."

"There's no cupcake like my cupcake," Shego added for good measure, "But it's criminal how it's taken her this long to consider her best friend as a potential fuck buddy. Especially one with this ass," and she gave the peach in question a good squeeze with both hands, making the black girl yelp.

"You don't waste any time, do you?"

"This is me showing restraint. I had my way, I'd be sinking my teeth into these, not my claws."

"Claws? Ah, my skirt!"

Shego laughed as she released Monique and stepped back, allowing her to inspect the cloth covering her rear end for punctures. None were immediately apparent.

The conversation then turned to the former villainess' outfit, how she'd added the claws to her gloves after quitting Team Go to better reflect her fighting style, and demonstrating her trademark green glow. Monique had been Kim's biggest fan back when she was still just doing rescue missions and the like, and had never paid much attention to the 'freak-fighting' aspect that had come later, when the teen hero started taking on villains.

Kim recognised the look in Monique's eyes as she watched the glow flicker and roil. "Shego, I know your outfit's a classic, but what would you say to Monique designing something new for you?"

"I suppose," the green girl mused, "But I promise nothing."

The statement did not deter Monique, who was already sketching when the pair left the store. "Why didn't you get anything for yourself?" Kim asked.

"Club Banana doesn't do the kind of dress I have in mind. I'll find it after I drop you off at the Stoppable house for lunch, so you can tell the rest of your family I'm fucking you on a regular basis before tonight."

The teenager halted in shock. "Wait, what? Now!?"

"Well, we're going _out_, right? In public? That means you gotta tell 'em this afternoon... Or do you want poppa Possible to read all about it in the morning newspaper before you tell him?"

Kim gulped. She wasn't sure which would be worse, but she could suddenly hear herself saying, 'This _is_ my way of telling you!'

_Okay... okay. Over lunch. I can do this. I can do anything._

_I just hope I don't give dad a heart attack._


	9. Revelations

Kim opened the front door of the Stoppable household to find her father and brothers right there in the hall. "Hey, dad."

"Hello, Kimmie. How's the lair?"

"Isolated, but it's got a great view. Have you guys had lunch yet?"

"We're going on a picnic!" the twins chorused, one charging out the door carrying the basket over his head, the other right behind with cushions haphazardly wrapped in a large blanket.

"Easy does it boys," James warned amiably before turning back to his remaining child. "Hungry?"

"Let me just put these inside," his daughter jiggled her Club Banana bags as she stepped inside. "Oh, have you found us a new place, yet?"

"There are a few for rent I want your mother's opinion on."

"For rent?"

"We've been getting offers to have our house rebuilt, just as it was, free of charge."

Kim supposed she should have expected something like that to happen. "Sounds awesome."

"You've started replacing your lost wardrobe, I take it," James said as they started ambling after the hyperactive boys.

"Yeah, Shego took me to Club Banana for the essentials, and Monique got to meet the real her instead of Miss Go."

The memory of his wife's face firmly planted between Miss Go's thighs, and what she'd done to him after satisfying their houseguest, leapt to the fore in James' thoughts. He cleared his throat and tried to refocus before his erection got fully under way. "Your mother tried to explain it, but I'm still unclear as to how you two are friends while she's still kicking and punching you whenever you meet. Plus she _did_ just put you in the hospital..."

"I put her there too this time, but she heals ferociously fast. With her criminal career over, she wanted to find out which of us was the better fighter, once and for all. Wade had fighting Shego in mind when he designed the battlesuit; I beat her while I was wearing it last year, and she wanted a rematch."

"But you've fought her without it, before."

"She had to dial back the glow, when I did that. The battlesuit evened the odds, let her cut loose with her powers. And it had been a surprise, last year; this time she knew what it could do and had thought up ways to counter its defenses. She would have won the rematch if we hadn't both passed out, first. It was majorly tiring."

"She used to hold back when fighting you, did she? Well, it still doesn't sound like an ordinary relationship... but then, you _are_ an extraordinary girl." James ruffled her hair, and Kim silently endured it. "But until recently, I only really met her when her morality was reversed. What's the real Shego like?"

"Snarky, sarcastic, short-tempered, and prone to violence when she's not getting... uh... that is..."

"Laid," her father finished for her, apparently to her surprise.

"Well, yeah..."

"I assume she enjoyed Ann's visit last night, then."

Kim only nodded, temporarily struck dumb. This was not the kind of conversation she ever expected to have with the man who preferred it when she was out risking her life rather than with some boy (not counting Ron). Her father had repeatedly shown an averse reaction to the concept of his little Kimmie-cub growing up; perhaps mom's interest in Shego had forced him to look at his daughter differently, too.

_Cue the daddy's-little-girl scenario,_ Shego's voice snickered in Kim's mind. Hopefully the blush already blazing from James' frank admission of the relationship between Ann and Shego didn't get any worse. She didn't want to imagine how he might react if he learned what she and mom had done to each other last night...

"Well, good timing for Monique's sake," James finally said, realising Kim didn't know what to say at the moment. "I, uh, trust your mother told you I don't have a problem with... what she's been doing. With Shego."

"She did." Kim took a deep breath. "To be honest, about Shego I mean... there's something else I have to tell you."

"About you two being friends?"

_This is it._ "Not just friends."

"Oh?"

"That's how it started, but it became more than that. A _lot_ more."

To his credit, James kept walking, but his eyes unfocused as the implications hit him. "Uh..."

"But then there was the thing with the little diablos, and Erik, and I thought Shego had been in on it the whole time, though it turned out she wasn't, but I'd started dating Ron, so-"

"Take a breath, Kim."

The teenager did so, and continued in a less rambling fashion. "I love Ron, but... Shego's the one I'm _in_ love with. Does that make any sense?"

Her father nodded after a moment's pause. "The same way I love you and your brothers, but I'm_ in _love with your mother. Is that why Ron left Middleton?"

"Kinda. There are other factors, but I think he knew Shego was the one I belonged with before I did."

"What other factors might those be?"

"Mystical monkey power. It's how he defeated the Lorwardians."

"Ah. You'll have to explain that, sometime. I thought Shego's big brother was the one with the blue glow."

Kim was once again surprised. Her father knew more than she'd expected. "Team Go got their powers from a comet, so I guess it counts as science. Ron's monkey thing is magic. It's different."

"Not necessarily. I don't understand how a comet can give people powers any better than I do Ronald's monkey magic, not to mention the mad science Drakken and his fellows practice, but that doesn't stop any of it from functioning. It's just a question of understanding how. It's all science of some sort."

"Y'think?" Between the Egyptian jackal talisman and the floating Yamanouchi sensei, the teen hero had never really thought of it that way.

"'I do not know' is the foundation of all wisdom, Kimmie. We've only learned how to build the tools that help us investigate the universe in the last few hundred years, and we're still only scratching the surface." James paused, then said more quietly, "Last year I didn't know how I'd feel about Ann sleeping with another woman, but I know it wouldn't have happened again if I'd decided I was uncomfortable with it. I suppose it's the same reason why you're willing to share... though I can't imagine how you ended up sharing with your own mother."

_Hoo boy, how to explain that without..._ "Remember the mother's day when mom was my sidekick? That's when Shego started crushing on her. Because of her voice; she was obsessed with hearing mom purr."

James chuckled. "Well, yes, that would certainly do it." They reached the edge of the park, and paused as they watched the twins start laying everything out, both sensing the topic of conversation was not yet quite done. "So, if you and Shego were together when the three of you spent the weekend on that tropical island, I imagine it was as much an experiment for you as it was for your mother and me."

For the first time since the topic had arisen, Kim managed to look directly at her father and smile. "Yeah, I guess it was."

James returned the smile, then hurried forward when he saw the twins had arranged the blanket like a launch platform and were hiding behind the wall of cushions while they prepared to launch their 'lunch is ready' rocket. Even a hastily-assembled glorified firework would start a fire, even if it didn't simply explode.

As they ate, it proved easier to tell the boys that Kim was dating Shego. The chorused "You're gay!?" was among the list of potential responses the redhead had predicted.

"I haven't really thought about the labels," she told them. "I always _knew_ Shego was a hottie, but I didn't actually _think_ about it until she started flirting with me; and she started doing that to annoy me, honestly. But once I started thinking about her differently, I started noticing girls as well as boys."

"Bisexual?" Jim asked. "Pansexual?" Tim followed.

"Aren't those two essentially the same thing?" Their father wondered aloud.

"Bi means boys and girls," Kim answered, "While pan means all. I like the concept of pansexual, but I don't know if it applies to me. I'd need to meet people with more complicated sexual identities than the usual... hm, that might be a good idea, actually. Maybe I could be a spokesperson for the LGBT community; try to do something positive with my increased reputation, once my relationship with Shego goes public."

"That's my Kimmie," James chuckled. His daughter's fame may have reached new hieghts, but she had been world famous for years, and her first thought now was still to help other people. Despite the bizarre turns their lives were taking, he was as proud of her now as he had ever been.

Meanwhile, Kim was relieved that the male members of her family were taking the news so well. It actually made her feel guilty that she'd kept her relationship with Shego a secret for as long as she had... but knowing her family, they would have taken issue with dating a supervillain before anything else. Nonetheless, she made sure the tweebs understood that they weren't to breathe a word of it until it became public knowledge, their first response being to ask how long that would be.

"I guess that depends on what Shego has planned for our date tonight," she answered.

* * *

><p>Kim's new dress still qualified as a LBD if the L stood for long. The cut resembled the midnight blue gown Shego had taken such a fancy to after their fight at the Bermuda Triangle, but the sultry aspects were toned down in comparison, and this one was black with purple details. Club Banana was probably going to feature a lot of black and purple, according to Monique, due to Kim's updated mission outfit. The old one had been famous for five minutes on some fashion authority's say-so, but the newer look was likely to be 'in' for considerably longer.<p>

Whether the same could be said for Shego's colours remained to be seen, but someone somewhere was already selling paper pompons of lime green with the occasional strip of black thrown in. After a few years of being repeatedly defeated by a cheerleader, it was easy to understand why the former villainess didn't appreciate the irony.

Covered shoulders aside, the slit up the skirt was the most obvious difference, being far more modest. Kim supposed it was better to have some mobility than none, but she doubted the dress would survive a fight with Shego intact... or _other_ activities, for that matter. Still, it showed off the curve of her (unbroken) leg, so at least the tease factor was still there.

The teenager was still tying her hair into a ponytail with a purple ribbon when the doorbell rang. The Stoppables were home by now, but it sounded like her dad was the one to answer the door. Hair tied and bangs tweaked to perfection, Kim snatched up her purse and crutch and made her way downstairs as swiftly as she could without risking the appearance of elegance.

Shego's dress made up for Kim's less revealing one. It was tight and black, with a collar instead of shoulderstraps. They way it supported her assets, there had to be some sort of corset involved, but it was otherwise hard to tell by simply looking at it. The most interesting feature, however, was the V-shaped strip of seemingly transparent material that ran through it. Starting at the front and center of the skirt, the hem of which was just above the knees, it curled around the green girl's thighs and across her hips to meet just above the small of her back.

Kim watched as Shego, hands on hips, made a slow sultry spin to show off the dress to James. Her crotch remained well hidden from any decent point of view, but a diamond of the transparent material, at identical angles to the V-shape below, showed off plenty between the collar and a tantalizingly low point between her breasts.

"My goodness," Mr. Stoppable remarked from the doorway to the living room, causing his wife to reach over and hold a hand over his eyes until he stopped staring. On the opposite side of the hallway, the tweebs were simply staring, with slack jaws and matching amounts of drool.

Spying Kim on the stairs, Shego turned her smirk on her. "Ready to go, princess?"

"Absolutely," the redhead breathed, spurred into motion once more.

James, finally recovering his voice, asked, "And just where are you planning to take Kim, dressed like that?"

"Figured I'd go with the classic dinner and a movie. Maybe some dancing, after. Why, dontcha like the dress?" She cocked a hip and elbow to the side, accentuating her curves.

"Uh..."

Kim couldn't hold back a giggle. "Stop teasing my dad, Shego. You dressed up for _me_, remember?"

"And?"

"Ferociously sexy," the teenager admitted, threading an arm around Shego's and leading her back out the door.

"Don't wait up, pops!" the green girl called, determined to get one more shot in before Kim dragged her off.

"Are they... going out on a date?" Mrs. Stoppable asked, astounded.

"Yep," Jim answered even as his father took a breath to respond, before Tim added, "Kim's totally gay for Shego now."

"When were you going to tell us?" Mr. Stoppable asked.

James shrugged. "I guess this _is_ our way of telling you."


	10. Publications

A red convertible with the black soft-top up was waiting for them at the curb, and Kim recognised the smell once she was inside. "New car?" she asked as her date got behind the wheel.

"Yep... bought and paid for, before you ask." Shego mirrored the tongue Kim stuck out at her before adding, "Next week it'll be her majesty's car, soon as she forks over a dollar."

"A dollar?"

"For tax purposes."

"...It's a bit red and sporty, don'tcha think?"

"Not for a hot MILF like her, no."

"Shego!"

The former villainess only laughed. "Mom I _Have_ Fucked doesn't work so well as an acronym, cupcake. She needs a new car, and this one's a present to celebrate all the dirty things she did to her little bubblebutt last night. And I have every intention of replacing the new car smell before she takes possession, with your help, in the back seat, as often as possible."

The redhead couldn't keep the pout going, replaced as it was by an involuntary snort of amusement. "You're evil."

"Yeah, well, you knew that when you kissed me back." Shego put the car in gear and started off as they both recalled the new year kisses that changed everything. Thinking of firsts seemed appropriate, tonight.

"So when are you giving it to her?" Kim eventually asked.

"She's going to some brain-related thing next week. I'll surprise her with it when she gets back."

"Huh. She didn't mention anything about going away, last night or... this morning. Did she say what it was?"

"Just something she'd been invited to due to her area of expertise. Didn't exactly ask for details."

Kim was silent for a moment. "Maybe it's for the best," she eventually decided, "After last night. A little time apart to see how we feel about things."

The green girl glanced sideways at her. "You both seemed pretty damn enthusiastic at the time, Kimmie."

"Well _yeah_, tasting the forbidden fruit's always fun while you're doing it. But what about the consequences? What's gonna change? If we keep doing it, what else might we end up doing? And who with?"

Shego sniggered. "Is this a mommy issue, a daddy issue, or is it the concept of a full family orgy that freaks you out?"

"All of the above," the teenager grumbled, not exactly happy about how casually Shego was responding to her concerns; not that she'd share what mom had confided to her anytime soon. "What if this is, like, the start of a slippery slope into... I dunno..."

"Complete and utter sexual depravity?" Shego sighed. "Kim, if you don't like something, don't do it. If someone else doesn't like something, don't do it to 'em. If poppa Possible finds out his wife and daughter of fucking each other senseless on a regular basis, then you both gotta respect however he feels about it. If he wants you to stop, stop; if he doesn't, keep going; if he wants to watch or join in, that's up to all three of you. It really doesn't have to be more complicated than that."

"Then why does it seem like it should?"

"Ugh, I dunno, society? Upbringing? Education? Or maybe it's just experience. People do all kinds of wierd shit. Some of them ride that slippery slope of yours all the way down, but I don't see any of your family doing that." The green girl shrugged as she added, "But hey, if you're so worried, don't do it again."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"I wouldn't want you doing it just for my sake. But every time I kiss you, I'll know where your tongue's been. Ann's too. Doesn't matter if it never happens _again_, cupcake. It happened, it was hotter than hell, and I'll never forget it." Shego paused and frowned. "Oh, dammit..."

"What?"

"...But I _did_ forget to check what movies were on before picking you up. Wanna drop by before dinner?"

The Middleton Mall movie theater was busy thanks to the human need for escapism from reality - especially in the wake of an alien invasion - and Shego's dress was a sidenote compared to the increase of both girls' celebrity status. Thankfully the movie schedule was also available in hard copy and they were able to retreat an appreciable distance from the crowd to see what was on and when.

"The 4:12 To Yomama is still playing..." Shego muttered, contemplating some old-fashioned Western violence.

Kim shook her head. "I've had enough of Abraham Bundle since the Fearless Ferret reboot. What about Pacts of the Far East? Vito Deathenson..."

"The face sweater he sported in Lord of the Bling ruined him forever. Banquet of Affection? I could put up with a romantic comedy with Martin Freedman's voice in it."

"Sure you're not just trying to avoid coming across as Miss Go?"

Despite the glare, Shego's tone was even. "My likes and dislikes didn't change, princess, just my reactions to them." The green girl's attention was split by the flash of a phone camera from across the way. "Maybe a movie isn't a good idea."

"It's never been much of a problem before," Kim argued. "You're just in the habit of trying to avoid this kind of attention."

"I had a bigger reputation when I was bad than I ever did as part of Team Go, and it was usually just _your_ attention I was trying to avoid while I was on the job. Or Wade's I suppose... what?"

Kim's smile widened. "Nothing. Just getting used to using actual names instead of insults."

Shego rolled her eyes. "My point is, this is supposed to be a date, and with people watching all the time..."

"Shego, have you noticed I've got my arm around your waist and we've been pressing against each other this whole time?"

The former villainess glanced down in vague surprise. "Huh. Didn't really think about it. Gotta keep you from falling over, anyway."

The redhead bumped her hip against Shego's in retaliation for that comment. "I'm not gonna hide who I am. Or what we are."

"It's not really the world's business, though."

"Not all of it will be," Kim whispered in her date's ear, and waited a moment for the reference to hit her before using her free hand to pull her face down into a passionate kiss. Whistles, cheers, laughter and applause erupted from the crowd, nearly doubling in intensity when Shego's surprise wore off and she responded to Kim's efforts with equal fervour.

A trace of the green girl's customary smirk was back when they broke apart. Igniting her glow, she set the movie schedule alight before tossing it to the sidewalk. "Let's go eat," she said, picked Kim up and slung her over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes, carrying her off to the car despite the redhead alternating between laughing and complaining the whole way.

Dinner was in a small family-run Portuguese restaurant, and was more homey than any French restaurant Kim had been to. She was considering trying a bitoque - a grilled steak with a fried egg on top and homemade fries - when the man serving them recognised the pair and all but demanded to get them both the special. Fifteen minutes later, two plates of lamb cutlets and a bottle of red wine arrived at their table.

The teenager tried to turn down the wine, but the waiter waved off her objections, cheerfully suggesting that learning _how_ to drink alcohol was better than banning it, and in this case the wine was a requirement for the meal. She soon understood when she took a sip after the first cutlet, as the wine complimented the meat perfectly. It launched a conversation into the difference between eating and eating _well_, something Kim had never really considered before. Shego was pleased to have brought Kim to her first experience of the latter, and the family patriarch that served them was both amused and happy to have helped.

By the time Shego was paying the bill, they were both on first name terms with most of the Portuguese family. The wine was on the house, because the house seemed to believe that no one could accuse Kim of drinking the wine if no one had bought it. The redhead was tipsy enough to accept this gracefully, though once the couple were outside, she did insist on taking a walk before getting back to the car. Kim was in a good enough mood to take Shego's natural attrition in stride until the eventual grumbled consent came about.

Eschewing the movie idea completely, they skipped straight to driving up the mountainside and parking in a nice spot to make out. As Shego intended, once the windows were too fogged up to enjoy the view, they switched to the back seat and fogged the windows up a good deal more. Then it was back home for more of the same until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

It seemed to be a perfectly ordinary date. It was what Kim had wanted, and it was what Shego had wanted to give her.

As they slept, the internet exploded with speculation on the apparent change in their relationship.

Wade ran through the footage every which way he could think of to ensure it was genuine, and decided he should wait until the morning before calling.

* * *

><p>Kim woke to the sound of the kimmunicator's first ring, more reliably than with any alarm clock. The device proved to be on the floor by the bed; the teen hero stretched an arm down to hit the appropriate button. Wade was greeted by the sight of a bed-head redhead with a bare shoulder proving that she was at least topless.<p>

The young genius gulped at the sight, then asked, "Too early?"

"It's fine, Wade. What's the sitch?"

"You and Shego. On the internet."

"Uh-huh."

Wade blinked, wondering if Kim was still half-asleep. "It's, uh... causing quite a stir. In some circles more than others. And the messages on your website..."

"Some good, some bad?"

"And some scary. Seriously, Kim, there have been some nasty threats."

Kim sighed, lying her cheek on the edge of the mattress. "Y'know, if it'd been Ron who came out of the closet, there wouldn't be such a fuss." Everyone, including Global Justice, had decided to keep Ron's mystical monkey power a secret, allowing the assumption that Kim and Drakken had been the deciding factors in defeating the Lorwardians. "I guess being world famous is finally taking its toll."

"Is that why you're living in Drakken's old lair, now?" Wade deduced.

"It's one reason. Shego offered."

"So, you two really are..." Wade watched the teen hero nod in the affirmative. "Even after the fight?"

"Yeah. There'd been something there for a coupla years," Kim wasn't about to lay out the whole truth to the young teen, "But the whole Little Diablo thing messed stuff up, and it took this last fight to really clear the air."

"What about Ron?"

"He knew before I did."

"...Oh. Is that why he left?"

"One reason, maybe. The Lorwardians are another. He's training. Getting in touch with his inner monkey."

"He'll be jumping at his own shadow for months," Wade said with a trace of a smile, but Kim was willing to give her former sidekick the benefit of the doubt.

"Weeks, maybe. After a few years having my back... I think he's only just starting to come into his own. Who knows, if the big green men ever come back, they'll be facing our own Great Blue."

"Where've I heard that before?"

"Shego said Warmonga first locked onto Drakken because of some Lorwardian prophecy about the Great Blue reaching out from beyond the stars to lead them in intergalactic conquest."

"Huh..."

The redhead scrutinized the thoughtful face on the screen for a moment. "What is it, Wade?"

"Nothing! it's just... well, it sounds like something Evil Ron would do. Especially if he gets a handle on his monkey power."

"But the attitudinator was destroyed!"

Wade shrugged. "People go bad all the time, Kim, without help from HenchCo products, tinkered with by electrical villians or not. Power corrupts, and Ron's already used his power to kill."

"To protect _me_. I'm sure his sensei will guide him down the right path."

"The sensei of a secret Japanese ninja school?" the young genius clarified. "Ninja are mercenaries, spies, saboteurs and assassins. The old pirates of the Pacific are depicted as antiheroes in current media, but there was nothing heroic about them! The ninja of Japan are no different."

Kim shook her head, frowning. "I never got a bad vibe from the sensei, Wade. He was way nicer than Monkey Fist. And the statue of the school's founder suggested he was a samurai."

"You didn't know Lord Monty Fiske's true intentions until you... uh, _we_ confronted him..." Wade tried to glaze over that whole holographic impersonation thing, but Kim's smirk told him it hadn't been forgotten. "...But the samurai _did_ follow a code of honour. I don't know why his followers would be ninja, though. Maybe something to do with monkey kung fu, but that's Chinese in origin..."

"The founder may have been Chinese. He was the original master of monkey kung fu."

"That doesn't make any sense..." the boy tapped furiously at a keyboard for a moment, starting a search before turning back to the camera. "Listen Kim, I'm gonna do some digging on this, but that wasn't why I called. I think you need to write a statement for the website. Then we'll see what happens."

"I was thinking about that. After last night, I may as well get it done sooner rather than later."

"And at some point, I want to scan you to make sure you haven't been chipped or something."

Kim giggled, sing-songed, "Later, Wade," and cut the connection before turning her attention to her girlfriend. Her official, real-as-normal-life girlfriend. It took a moment for that thought to process.

"Shego, you awake?"

A disgruntled exhalation was her only answer.

"Do you mind if I-"

"Just don't hit the self-destruct button, princess," the former villainess grumbled. "The only thing worse than an alarm you can't turn off is an alarm you can't ignore without risking life and limb."

Kim leaned over and planted a kiss on the green girl's cheek, earning her a _slightly_ less grumpy grunt. Then the teenager got up, wrapped herself in Shego's robe and headed to the console in the main room, already mentally organizing what she intended to tell the world.


	11. Companions

Ann luxuriated in the back of the limousine that had picked her and Doctor Director up from the airport, gazing at her companion with appreciation for her choice in wardrobe. The cyclopean spy was wearing shorts the same colour as her eyepatch, with a tight white button-down shirt and sneakers with no socks. The shirt's sleeves were rolled up, enough buttons were undone to show off some cleavage, and the black bra was visible enough through the fabric to show the amount of lace involved.

"Enjoying the view?" Betty asked, not looking up from the smartphone she was tinkering with.

"Absolutely," the medical doctor admitted. "I don't think I'll have any problem finding the inspiration to play my part. What about you?"

Betty's eye briefly flicked up to her, appraising the cerulean dress and teal accessories. "You're in no danger of turning me off, my dear," she answered.

"Your dear what?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, 'dear' on its own isn't much for an established couple, is it? Am I your honey bun? Your sugar plum?"

"My blueberry pie, perhaps."

"That would be more apt for you, considering the shade of blue you usually wear."

The brunette's eyebrow twitched as a thought occurred to the part of her mind that was taking part in the conversation. "What does Shego call you?"

"Highness."

That brought Betty's attention back up to the redhead. "You've never struck me as... ah. Because Kimberly is her princess."

"Exactly."

"I doubt she'd appreciate my using her name for you." The single eye returned to the phone once more.

"This is special, top secret work," Ann pointed out with a sly tone. "Shego doesn't have to know."

"I'm starting to wonder just how much of an influence she's had on you."

"Nothing you wouldn't appreciate, given the chance."

"Hmm."

"What are you looking at, anyway? Last minute updates on the mission?"

"Your daughter's coming out statement, actually." Betty thumbed the phone's back button and handed the device over. "Take a look."

It was Kim's website, with a link to 'an important message' under the header. Ann tapped it and read the page that followed.

_Hello, everyone._

_Short version: Yes, it's true, Shego and I are romantically involved._

_Long version: ..._

_Honestly, something's been there for a few years now. It's hard to explain. I guess it's been a love-hate relationship until now, but along the way, Shego became more of a rival than an archfoe. Fighting her was the highlight of my Drakken missions. And some of you in the forums, my own cousin included, understood that she was the biggest threat in my gallery of villains. *waves to Joss*_

_For those of you who are wondering, Ron is fine. I think he understood where things were going before I did. The concept of us trying to be a couple and failing was something we were both familiar with since before we started dating, but he was there for me when I needed him. I've lost count of how many times I wouldn't have saved the world without him, and that's never been more true than with the Lorwadians. He's left Middleton for now, learning to be his own kind of hero. When he comes back, we'll be best friends again._

_As for Shego, she may have tried to kill me now and then, but we earned each other's respect after the first few encounters. That's how it started, really. She's also saved my life at least twice in the last year alone, and it was with her help that Ron got me and Drakken back from the Lorwardian spaceship after we'd been abducted. And now she's a free woman... to be honest, we'll probably keep fighting, it just won't be because someone's trying to take over the world._

_Anything else we do isn't really your business. Especially anyone who's contributed to the 'kigo' thread. I haven't looked, but Wade gave me the gist of it. Get your minds out of the gutter, perverts, and be glad Shego doesn't spend much time on the internet, because Wade would probably help her hunt you down for all the 'fanart' he's had to remove._

Ann laughed as she finished the last paragraph. "Shego's as likely to critique the art as she is to hunt down whoever sent it. In fact the critique might be better punishment than anything involving her glow."

"It _would_ involve less effort than actually finding them," Betty supposed.

"You make her sound lazy," the redhead said as she handed the phone back to its owner.

"Unmotivated would be more accurate. Kim is the only reason Shego cares about her pardon in the first place. She has a preference for socially unacceptable behaviour, and I'm hoping a lesbian relationship with her former archfoe - and her mother - will be enough to keep the edge off."

"You believe Shego's truly the greatest threat? That she still could be?"

"Absolutely. We'd have tangible evidence that Shego is capable of taking over the world, but things get frustratingly _in_tangible when you're working with five dimensions or more. Quantum physics, etcetera."

Ann blinked as she processed that statement. "Something tells me you would get along with my husband quite well."

The smile on Betty's face was surprisingly whimsical. "Given the nature of supervillainy, it's often necessary to conduct... atypical research. That's why we were so interested in Ronald a few years ago. Of course, what we considered to be a product of chaos theory was probably the earliest manifestations of his mystical monkey power."

"Oh, now I remember. The Ron Factor."

The brunette sighed. "It doesn't explain the mole rat, unfortunately. He was disassembling electronic locks and programming VCRs long before Team Possible met Monkey Fist."

"Something from an earlier adventure, perhaps?"

"Something before Ron purchased him. Smarty Mart's paperwork suggests he was born on site. Perhaps he was intentionally placed there. It's impossible to know for sure."

"Well, it's a good thing Ron chose him. I know he's played a pivotal role in more than a few of their adventures." Kim didn't know it, but her mother frequently checked her website after missions for details the teen hero chose not to share with her parents. Ann was well aware of how critical the naked mole rat's presence had been.

"Fate, perhaps. It's a shame Ronald disappeared. Rufus has a way of provoking Camille's pet cat, making it that much easier to identify her."

The rest of the ride was spent in amiable conversation until they reached the dock, at which point Ann insisted on relocating to Betty's lap for a believable first impression when the chauffeur opened the door. The spy saw no particular reason to suggest otherwise, and she made a point of maintaining physical contact once they were out of the car. It wasn't until they'd been shown to their room aboard the cruise ship that she removed her arm from around Ann's waist. The redhead pouted, reluctant to do the same.

"Unless you have a thing for watersports, my angel," Betty said, "You'll have to let me go for a minute or two."

"Not particularly," Ann chuckled, "But if you want, I can watch you urinate and we can see if it does anything for you..."

"Medical doctors," the brunette muttered as she headed to the bathroom. The doctor in question investigated their luggage in the meantime. When Betty returned, Ann was checking out what appeared to be an expensive custom laptop.

"So this is our secret weapon?"

"Your end of it, yes. The other..." Betty held up her wrist, bearing what appeared to be a bulky black diver's watch. "I supplied Wade with one of our GJ stopwatches. He made this for us after the Miss Go incident, when Kimberly used her device to verify Shego's altered personality."

"But that was the sole purpose of the scan," Ann pointed out. "You know brain waves are not as simple as fingerprints when it comes to identification."

"Hence the extensive file of Camille's brain wave responses to various stimuli. The combination of our recognition software and your expertise should narrow the search down from the thousands aboard."

"That could still leave us with hundreds."

"Yes, but it will be much easier to check on hundreds of sleeping suspects instead of thousands."

Ann made the connection. "Of course, her body relaxes and can't maintain whatever appearance she's taken... what if she's dreaming?"

"Depends on the dream," Dr. Director said. "The security footage from her incarceration is occasionally amusing."

A suggestive smirk broadened the redhead's lips before she said, "So, want to try me?"

"Um..."

"With the scanner, I mean."

"...Ah." Betty did her best not to appear thrown off, but the truth was she had indeed assumed Ann had meant something else. She aimed the face of the stopwatch at the woman and hit the appropriate button, briefly illuminating the medical doctor's face with a grid of light. A moment later, a thumbnail of Dr. Possible's face appeared in the corner of the laptop's screen, the rest of it displaying both the wavy line of local field potential, and the spiking of individual neurons. The software automatically began a comparison with Camille's information.

"There's a camera in the watch, too?" Ann asked.

"Naturally," Betty answered.

"Well, the technology seems sound, but that light... it's not exactly subtle."

"My dear doctor, subtlety is half my job. Besides, the scan will be all but imperceptible in direct sunlight, which our current location will provide us with in abundance. Perhaps I should demonstrate... shall we go for a walk?"

"To familiarize ourselves with the mission's location?" Ann laughed. "Perhaps it would be better to wait until the ship is underway. And I know just what to do until then."

The brow over the eyepatch arched upward. "Dare I ask?"

Ann sauntered over to Betty and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Practicing our cover. If we've been together long enough to share a cruise, we'd better look like it."

Dr. Director returned the kiss her 'civilian support' gave her, and decided that making out for a while was not a bad plan. It was hardly a disagreeable experience, after all. She wondered about that as it went on. She hadn't been sexually attracted to Ann until now, but that seemed to be changing. If she could enjoy kissing a woman this much, what did that mean? Perhaps kissing was in a league of its own, unrelated to the activites that tended to follow.

The kiss ended abruptly with a surprised exclamation from Betty when Ann squeezed her ass.

"Was that in character?" the redhead asked smugly.

"...A vixen, that's what you are."

"Your dear vixen?"

"Precisely."

The hands on her ass began to massage rather than squeeze, and the kissing resumed. One of Betty's hands went into Ann's hair, while the other slid along the curve of her back.

By the time the second makeout ended, the look in Ann's eyes matched the heat Betty could feel through her dress. The hands on the brunette's ass relocated to her hips and she was guided backward until she bumped into the wall. "Stay right there," she was told.

"What are you intending?" Dr. Director asked, her eye widening as her companion hitched up her skirt and pulled down the thong she had been wearing.

"You wanted to know how it felt to have Kimmie dryhumping me in my office? You're going to find out... but there will be nothing dry about it." Ann pulled one of the spy's knees up and added, "Brace it against the wall."

Not _quite_ slack-jawed, the brunette placed the sole of the relevant foot against the wall, then blushed heavily as she felt Ann's already-moist sex gliding across her bare thigh. She had to swallow before speaking. "W-what is it about me that you find so... appealing?"

Ann considered her answer as she began rubbing against the woman. "You mean other than the fact that you're gorgeous? Who you are... what you are, what you do... and what you know." She paused to nibble the neck before her as one of her hands becan to explore the curves of a confined breast.

Betty's hand automatically reached to grab the one groping her, but did nothing to stop what it was doing. "About you?"

"Mmm... and my little Kimmie," the redhead whispered into an ear. "How I've been thinking about her... the things I've let her do to me..." The tempo of Ann's hips increased a notch. "And the fact that you don't know what we did a couple of nights ago."

The admission provoked a flush of heat between Betty's legs, more than anything the thigh between them had done for her so far. "What... did you..."

The rubbing and grinding continued to quicken. "You really... want to know?"

"Yes..."

"Why? Is that what... got you going? I can feel it..." Ann shifted slightly, bringing her thigh tighter against Betty's crotch even as she continued to get herself off. "Does imagining... my face between... my little girl's legs... make you wet?"

Betty didn't answer, perhaps because her training prevented her from divulging information while under any kind of duress, but probably because the answer was one she didn't want to admit out loud.

"Do you... want to know... how quick she came... the first time... I sucked her clit? Unh... how I came... without even... touching myself? Perhaps... how she... ah... worked her whole hand... into me?" Ann's movements reached fever pitch. "Or how... Shego... came while we..."

The neurosurgeon never got to finish what she was gasping, biting the other woman's neck with surprising force as her orgasm began to claim her, thighs clamping down and hips bucking, almost screaming into the flesh she was sucking on. The hand that had been in her hair almost the whole time tugged as the pain of the bite registered, though nowhere near enough to pull her off.

Dr. Director watched (and felt ) as her companion rode through the rest of her climax before sagging against her, still gasping for breath, her face still buried in her neck.

"I seem to have made a bit of a mess," Ann finally whispered.

"It's alright," Betty answered. She'd heard the overtone of uncertainty in the redhead's voice, but on a personal level, the spy had no problem with anything Ann had just done. She would have been able to stop it easily enough, otherwise.

Ann's lips brushed along her cheek before claiming another kiss. "I'll clean up," she murmered, and knelt down to tend to the fluids on Betty's thigh with her mouth and tongue. Still rather flustered, the sensation did nothing to help the brunette cool down.

When Ann all but climbed back up Betty's body, she went nose to nose with the spy so she would catch the scent on her breath. "For someone who doesn't find me sexually active, you were pretty turned on. Perhaps I'm the exception?"

"Perhaps," Betty admitted. She didn't get the chance to elaborate because Ann kissed her again, giving her a taste of what she'd only smelled until now.

Ann kept kissing her for quite some time.


	12. Shenanigans

The undercover couple emerged from their room once the ship signalled its intention to leave. Ann made a point of leaving her underwear behind. Hand in hand and hip to hip as they wandered along the deck, Betty could still smell her, and suspected anyone they passed close enough would also.

On top of that, the redhead started filling her in on specific details of her exploits with Kim and Shego, and not by whispering in her ear. As they strolled along the deck, Ann explained what her orgasm had interrupted: how her lover's girlfriend was so wet, they could hear every movement the hand between her legs made as her lover showed her the meaning of scissoring. She spoke with a normal tone of voice; anyone close enough would overhear, though only Betty knew she was talking about her daughter. Betty found it difficult to focus on what was supposed to be a preliminary reconnaissance sweep.

Fortunately, the redhead had latched onto the arm without the brain-scanning watch. Once the secret agent's wits had sufficiently recovered, she began proving her point that any emissions from the device were barely visible in direct sunlight. Anyone who noticed the flash would assume it was a reflection.

"Still, it's a bit random, isn't it?" Ann said. "There's no way to ensure you don't scan the same people repeatedly as time goes on."

"The more scans of the same people, the better. Chances are they'll be thinking different things each time, giving you a broader base for comparison."

"I think some people will only be thinking about one thing the whole time," the neurosurgeon countered, nodding in the direction of a couple that were at second base in full view of everyone.

"Yes, well..." Betty did her best not to jump as her partner squeezed her ass without warning, "...While I've memorized the schematics of the vessel, we need to see how they've furnished the public areas before refining the plan."

So the pair explored, as did a fair number of the other guests aboard ship. Slipping into their cover identities of Liz and Zoe, Betty remained pleasantly cordial while Ann continued to be alluring and flirtatious. More than once, a couple they crossed paths with would call her on it. After the first couple of times, the brunette refined her response to, "She likes to provoke me and push my boundaries." Judging by how the looks of interest continued after such a statement, Betty was starting to think this was the couples version of a singles cruise; an observation that amused Ann greatly when it was voiced during their stop at the bar.

"I thought this was more of a getaway from the judgement of others," Betty explained, "A place to be yourself with only others of like mind for company."

"For newcomers like us, it probably is," the redhead replied. "I think some of these couples take cruises regularly, and some have learned to enjoy opening their relationship."

"As you have."

"As I have."

"How much have you told your husband about this trip?"

Ann smiled and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Only that a sexy spy has requested my assistance on a special mission, and that I'd let him know if she seduced me or vice versa."

"I see." The secret agent allowed a light blush to colour her features. "Perhaps we should head back to the room and work on that."

"Yes, ma'am." Ann finished her drink before allowing herself to be led away, winking at the nearest couple as they passed by.

The laptop was busily churning away at the data it had received, and to Betty's surprise, her companion went straight to filtering the results. The brunette spent the time unpacking their clothes, taking note of Ann's more enticing underthings without comment, before joining the neurosurgeon at the desk.

"No matches from the computer so far," Ann informed her, "And nothing from what I can tell, either. I don't suppose that watch has some sort of wide beam setting that can read a whole room at once."

"Wade and I both had that thought, but no, the requirements for such a device would be too obtrusive for the task at hand. It would also be unfeasible, financially and practically. We're only using this specific technology to identify a unique individual. Wade has patented the design; I suspect you'll be seeing them in the hospital in the next five, ten years."

"It's certainly easier than attatching a couple dozen electrodes to a scalp," Ann admitted. Her current interactions with the laptop complete, she swivelled in her chair to face the spy. "No clue as to who Camille came aboard with?"

"None. We'll just have to frequent the most popular areas at the relevant hours. The swimming pool this afternoon, and the club this evening, I suspect."

The redhead smirked. "I hope you brought a bikini... but won't the scan be visible in the club?"

"Among so many other moving, strobing lights? I observed their lighting setup. I can set the watch to scan whenever a face crosses its field of view, and attach it to a lighting rig facing the entrance."

"Doesn't that risk the watch's discovery? Without it, this mission might be over."

"A calculated risk."

"You're used to taking the subtle approach. What if we made you the center of attention, instead? Then everyone would be looking in your direction as it scans."

"And how do you propose we explain the scan itself?"

Another smirk. "Just how heavy is that thing?"

* * *

><p><em>It might not be clubwear,<em> Ann thought as she viewed herself in the full length mirror, _but it definitely works._

The dress resembled the one Kim had worn during their weekend island getaway, the one that had so captivated Shego. Minor details aside, Ann's was a blue that matched her eyes almost perfectly. Her shoes and accessories were red, as was her makeup, though it was far less pronounced.

"Are you coming out?" the neurosurgeon called to the bathroom door. Instead of a response, a quiet pause preceded the door opening and Betty stepping out. Her outfit was mostly unchanged, except the sneakers had been replaced by GJ boots with higher heels than normal, and her shirt was now unbuttoned, rolled up and tied above the waist.

The watch was now in the place of her eyepatch. Wade had accounted for the possibility that it might require being attached to something bigger than an appendage. The wristbands were independant and on internal coils, which maintained equal lengths with each other, keeping the buckle to the back of Betty's head. She had also slicked her hair back with too much moose to give it an artificial look.

Ann could see the watch fit well on the brunette's face, still hiding whatever lay behind, but the strap crossing the bridge of her nose and partially obscuring her left eye looked uncomfortable. "Would it be okay to trim that strap a bit?"

"I believe so," Betty answered, turning back to the bathroom. "I'll go-"

"No need," the redhead interrupted. The secret agent spun back around with a look of mild alarm as Ann fished something out of her purse. "Laser scalpel," she explained as she held the device up for Betty to see. "I took it with me that Mother's Day I sidekicked for Kim. You never know..." Her face softened as her companion's expression registered. "Betty, I'm a doctor. I assure you, however it looks, I've seen worse."

"I don't doubt that. I just don't enjoy letting anyone see it."

"Well, you won't have to. Just hold still." Ann scrutinized the strap, twisted a control that circled the cylindrical device, then changed her grip as if it were a pen.

The first cut cleared the bridge of Betty's nose, allowing the strap to rest comfortably around it. The second cleared her left eye, a long shallow curve that confined the strap's new edge to her brow. The skin of the secret agent remained untouched.

Betty blinked in surprise. It had only taken a few seconds. "Very impressive."

"Oh, compared to brains, it was no big," Ann told her, but her dismissal didn't stop the blush caused by the unexpected compliment.

"Of course," Betty murmered, suddenly focused on adjusting her new eyepatch.

* * *

><p>The cyborg eye did indeed prove to be an attention grabber, especially among those who had already seen her with the eyepatch. Ann's regard for the cyclopean woman rose over the course of the evening. Not only could she chat, flirt and hold her liqour, she could dance as dirty as anyone who dragged her onto the dancefloor was willing to go.<p>

More than once, the redhead was asked how she felt about her partner skirting on the edge of actually misbehaving as she watched from the bar. Ann would shrug and say, "She's just giving me a taste of my own medicine. I know whose bed she'll be spending the night in." This usually provoked a laugh. What the neurosurgeon didn't say was that she suspected Betty needed time off to unwind and relax, which would probably lead the conversation into areas she didn't care to go. With the watch automatically doing its job, the secret agent was mostly free to enjoy herself.

The night was winding down, and a slower song began playing. Ann finally braved the dancefloor, winding her way through the thinning crowd to Betty. The brunette saw her coming and excused herself from her current dancing partner before closing the remaining distance.

"Did you see something?" Betty asked, proving that business was still on her mind. The cyborg eye flashed in Ann's face as if to accentuate the point, but by then the neurosurgeon didn't care. She grabbed Betty and kissed her passionately in the middle of the dancefloor, to the amusement of all who could see. Then they watched the redhead drag the brunette away and laughed some more.

Betty tried to speak once they were back in their room, but Ann's tongue interrupted her. It took nearly a minute to dislodge her because the spy was running pretty hot after the evening's activities. "Is this why you pulled us out? We might have-"

"It's late, and there'd been no new faces for an hour," Ann argued, tugging at the knot in her partner's shirt. "It was time for me to drag you out of there so I could fuck you silly."

"You seem intent on following through with that," Betty noted, shrugging out of shirt as the aroused redhead tugged it off of her.

"Can you honestly say you weren't enjoying yourself tonight?" Ann asked before attacking the brunette's neck and cleavage with her lips and teeth.

"I suppose not," Betty gasped, cradling Ann's head as her mouth started leaving red marks on the exposed portions of her breasts. "At least let me go put my eyepatch on before you have your way with me."

The redhead reluctantly ceased her oral exploration of Betty's chest. "Only because it'll be easier to kiss you without that thing on your face," she purred. As she watched the spy's hips and ass retreat to the bathroom, she added, "That better be all you're wearing when you come out of there."

Betty barely paused at the statement. Once the bathroom door was closed, Ann glanced at the laptop, decided it could wait until morning, and unfastened her dress until it slid to the floor. The shoes would stay on, at least for now, but the thong quickly joined the dress. She remained on that spot, mimicing Shego's pose with hands on hips, and waited.

When Betty emerged, both women got their first unadulterated look at each other, and they took a long moment to appreciate the view. It was during that moment that the secret agent realised she was truly willing to let Dr. Possible do whatever she wanted to her, and that she would probably enjoy it.

Ann's voice was husky when she finally spoke. "Well... let's see what a woman who fucked her own daughter senseless can do for you."

Judging by how Betty trembled as Ann stepped out of the pool of clothes and prowled toward her, that had been the right thing to say.


	13. Catharses

Having sex in the back seat of a convertible (with the top up, no less) while your calf is in a cast isn't easy, but since Kim Possible could do anything, she was managing it on a regular basis. This time, she was propped against the back of one of the front seats, which was as far forward as it would go in both angle and position, her healing leg safely off to the side and the other over Shego's shoulder as the former villainess buried her face in the teenager's crotch.

Bedtime aside, they always had sex in the vehicle, doing their best to replace the new car smell with the scent of their activities. Kim believed the mission had been accomplished, but Shego was adamant that they continue until Ann took possession. The teen hero never put up much argument. She couldn't go on missions until her leg healed, and there was something about sex with Shego now that their relationship was public knowledge. Still, she couldn't help but feel there was more she could be doing, especially since going from famous to infamous.

Shego was a wonderful distraction from these feelings, especially when she took her time coaxing Kimmie's climax out of her (the wetter, the better, apparently), but it didn't take long for those other feelings to return once it was over. The redhead knew not to bring them up in current company. Something like this required her mother, not a former villainess whose sociopathic tendancies had only changed enough to make an exception for the people in Kim's life.

On this occasion, a new distraction announced itself via the kimmunicator. Since her upper half was still fully clothed, Kim only took a moment to untangle herself from Shego and regulate her breathing before answering. "Hey Wade, what's the sitch?"

"I, uh, wanted to check if now would be a good time to pay a visit, make some plans to give the lair an overhaul. If you're serious about taking it over, I mean."

"Oh! Yeah, sure. We're in the garage at the moment, but we don't have plans to go anywhere today."

"Great! I'll let myself in."

The image of Wade's smiling face winked out as Shego was suddenly distracted from licking her lips. "Wait, what?"

"Wade's visiting."

"Yeah, but letting himself in?"

"He's hooked into Global Justice, so he knows everything about this place that they do. More, when he gives the place a once-over."

The green girl didn't seem too pleased by the notion, commenting with a mere, "Huh."

"Shego, try to trust Wade, 'kay? You know how much he's helped me over the years, how much I owe him. I would've invited him over to dinner as much as Ron if it hadn't been for his agoraphobia. I've only met him in person a few times, and those were just the past year." A smile crossed her features as she added, "In fact, you might even consider it a compliment."

"Oh, please."

Kim combined a raised eyebrow with an admonishing glare. "The last time you two crossed paths, you were going to double-dip us to death in chocolate ganache. The fact that he's decided to be in the same room as you is a big deal."

"He doesn't trust _me_, princess. He trusts you not to let me do anything to him."

"Do you _want_ him to trust you?"

"Ugh... my first instinct is not to give a damn, but... like you said, he's gotta lotta pull with you, so I guess I should try to get along."

"Not really."

That threw Shego for a loop. "Say what now?"

The teenager shrugged. "You're very different people. Getting along isn't a requirement, not for my sake. As long as you don't actively dislike each other, I'm happy."

"...Okay then."

The walk from the garage to the lair proper was silent, Shego pondering Kim's words. The truth was, as the reality of their new situation sank in, the former villainess had expected Miss Snooty to insist she make an effort to fit into the teenager's social circle. Then she would argue, they would fight and things would sort themselves out. Now it was clear that wasn't how things were going to go, and it took a moment to decide how it felt: a lost opportunity. _I miss our usual form of foreplay?_ "We're fighting again once your leg's healed, right?"

"Well, I'd prefer sparring to actually fighting, but yeah. We're just doing more of the other thing until then. Three times a day in the car was your idea, y'know."

"Yeah, but... you're just being so damn nice and understanding. It's kinda pissing me off."

"Gotta get my kicks somehow," Kim quipped, tapping her crutch a little harder than usual with her next step.

Shego was still laughing when they entered the main room, to find the teen genius already looking around. "Wade!" Kim greeted him in surprise. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"I was already on my way. I didn't think to check... um..."

"That we might be busy fucking like rabbits?" the former villainess finished for him.

"Shego!"

"Well, you needn't worry, nerdlinger. We'd just finished when you called."

"TMI, Shego," Kim growled as her face struggled to match her hair.

"Hey, if he's gonna fill this place with his toys, he'll see it eventually, anyway."

Wade cleared his throat nervously, grateful at least that Shego was seeing the funny side. "About that... have you given any thought to what you want to do with the place, Kim?"

"I haven't had that much else to do, really-"

"Ahem."

The redhead ignored Shego's interruption. "There's no reason to change what's already here, so I guess it's more of a refurbishment than a redesign."

"Just don't move anything," Shego warned, with less hostility than anyone expected, herself included. "Or mess with any settings," she added, jerking a thumb in the direction of the console.

"Sure," the teen genius agreed, pausing on the bridge that crossed the peculiar green fluid that ran through the room. He leaned over, sniffed, and blinked. "Is that..."

Pine," the green girl confirmed. "Despite a ventilation system big enough for busybody do-gooders to crawl through, it wasn't enough to counter the smell of fifty to a hundred henchmen, as well as the occasional mad science experiment."

"Why a stream of the stuff, though?"

"I dunno, keeps it fresh. Wasn't here when he set it up, didn't pay attention when he spent half an hour explaining it."

"If you can do something about the colour..." Kim suggested.

"I'll take a sample," Wade agreed, unslinging his backpack to retrieve the required equipment.

"Got something against green, cupcake?" Shego sniggered.

"Green fluids, maybe. It looks like a byproduct of Drakken's experiments, is all."

"Might be what it is, for all I know. Wouldn't be the only unexpected side effect of some failed plot to take over the world. Something involving air fresheners, I bet. And it's a gel, not a fluid."

"Very River Ankh," Wade chuckled as he collected his sample.

"It just doesn't _look_ healthy, Shego. I want this place to be less of a liar and more of a... I dunno... secret base?"

The former villainess couldn't let the teen hero walk all over her, of course. "We're keeping the security tech. And the high ceilings."

The grin on said hero's face implied she knew what Shego was up to as she simply answered, "Fine."

"By the way," Wade said, "What's your transportation situation? I know Kim still has the sloth..."

"One of Drakken's hovercraft," Kim answered, "I've been learning how to fly it. And Shego's jet, but she won't let me near it."

"You've got your purple bug with boosters that can send you into orbit. No way am I letting you pilot my baby."

"I'd let you drive the sloth if you wanted," the redhead complained.

"I don't. And if you try the pout, I _will_ hurt you."

Wade's gaze want back and forth between the pair. "Are you two usually like this?"

"Yes," they answered simultaniously. "Jinx!" Kim added automatically before Shego clapped a hand over her mouth. "I don't owe you a damn thing, Kimmie."

"How would you both feel about a Global Justice hoverjet?"

Shego was the first to respond to Wade's question. "Are you serious?"

"I think we could convince Dr. Director to part with one, especially if the tweebs and I share whatever improvements we make."

"Kim's brothers? I dunno..."

The teen hero laid a hand on the green girl's shoulder. "In the old days, I would've been skeptical too, but the tweebs rebuilt the sloth from the frame up. Then they revamped it to catch you and Motor Ed in the tricked-out Kepler, remember?"

"I thought they just sent toy rockets through windows and stuff. You're telling me they've actually grown up a bit?"

"Hey, even before they did, they freed us from those compliance chips. They come through when it counts. Like Ron, except they get on my nerves because they're my brothers, not buffoons."

Shego grunted. "Fair enough. Not sure I like the idea of them poking around in here, though. They've got a reputation in some circles."

"I'll keep an eye on them, if and when that happens, okay?" Wade suggested.

"You're not much older than they are... but you're not insane, so I guess it's better than nothing."Heh..." Shego turned back to Kim. "Surprised GJ let you keep the car if your brothers built it, Kimmie. They usually confiscate products of mad science, and there's no way your plum on wheels should be able to do what it does without exploding."

"Is that what you mean by their reputation? You really think the tweebs can qualify as mad scientists?"

"They obviously got it from your pops. His cybertronic tech was locked up after Dr. D repurposed it. Only robot army he made that was worth a damn."

"Yeah... dad understood why that happened, but he still complained about how it set back the space program for years, if not decades. The whole robotics division was pretty bummed."

"Well, if James hadn't been planning to use it for the good of humanity, he'd probably be flagged as a mad scientist. He's probably on _someone's_ list just for making the tech _work_."

Kim was quiet for a moment, then looked at Shego with a serious expression. "Shego... did you have anything to do with kidnapping my dad?"

The green girl immediately shook her head. "I wouldn't do that... at least, not at the time, and I told Dr. D as much. He took the sumo ninja for that job."

Kim nodded quietly. Sensing that this was quickly becoming private relationship stuff, Wade swallowed before speaking. "I'll just go look around the rest of the place for a bit." He didn't wait for a response before leaving through the nearest jagged door.

"We never really talked about this, did we," Shego grumbled, certain where the conversation was going.

"Just fought about it. Other than what we said when you were... feeling apathetic."

"I don't know what else there is to say, especially now. I had to give Drakken props for finally bringing his A game, and I wasn't about to do any less. I came at you with more than I ever had before."

"You said, once I was out of the way, you'd date him."

The green girl shrugged. "As usual, I wanted to throw you off. Backfired, didn't it?"

"Why didn't you use the glow so much after that?"

"Irony. I might've hit the transmission tower."

"You didn't want a 'cleaner' fight?"

The former villainess sighed. "That implies I thought the previous one was unfair. The synthodrone taking you down, _that_ was unfair."

Kim could only nod in agreement. "Saying I hated you was unfair too."

"Agreed."

"Shego..."

"What else can I say? I covered my feelings while I was busy luxuriating in my cell. We both know everything that's happened since, and now here we are."

"You don't want me to apologise, or anything?"

"You don't have to. I get it, Kimmie. I understand why you did what you did... apart from shacking up with the sidekick. Point is, it doesn't matter anymore. Just another stepping stone to where we are now, and I'm more interested in where we go from here."

The crutch dropped to the floor as Kim hugged the green girl. Their big fight may have been the exclamation point of their year-long schism, but this felt like the epilogue; and at the same time, the prologue of something new.


	14. Solicitations

Dr. Director only agreed to do the bionic eye shtick on the first night. For the next, she had successfully secured it to one of the lighting rigs, facing the doorway, without anyone noticing. But after two days and nights of scanning, nothing resembling Camille Leon's brainwaves had come up.

Ann relieved Betty's stress as best she could. Still, they were running out of time. "Perhaps she_ is _impersonating one of the crew," the brunette muttered as she lay in the neurosurgeon's post-coital embrace.

"The dossier said that was the least likely probability."

"It is. She's used to being waited on, and she's certainly never had any experience waiting on others. She doesn't have the skillset to perform any of the duties required by the crew, either."

"But she grew up a wealthy socialite. Are there any... oh, I don't know, social officers on the crew? Public relations, customer service..."

"Hm. Perhaps. Assuming the identity of a crew member would also allow her to board ship alone. If she was impersonating someone's... partner, I doubt she'd be able to continue the subterfuge for a whole week."

"No red flags on your database so far?"

"None. Nor any updates on what may be aboard that Camille would be interested in stealing. But if that _is_ her purpose, she'd probably wait until we're returning to port, to minimize the chance of discovery before she can escape. We have a Plan B ready if it comes to that, but I'd rather apprehend her first. I'll double-check the crew roster in the morning."

"And if she's not here to steal, she's probably just hiding."

"Probably."

Ann sighed, cuddling into Betty a little tighter. "If she's posing as a guest, she won't want to draw much attention to herself. If she's not simply hiding in her room the whole time, she's probably occupying herself with the less popular or more exclusive pastimes the ship has to offer. Exploring those might be a good way to spend our third day."

"I was leaning in that direction myself," the cyclopean spy said. "Whatever her disguise, it's hard to imagine her keeping a low profile."

"Villains can change, you know."

"For better or worse," Betty replied, refusing to name Shego. The brunette had no desire to speak on that topic for now, opting instead to roll into the redhead's embrace and wait for her to fall asleep, so that she could do the same.

The next day was a bust, save for the discovery of a salsa dancing class that Ann was enthusiastic to attend; her husband's hobby choices tended to vary, but Latin American dance styles were not among them. Betty put up surprisingly little resistance to the idea, so Ann assumed she would appreciate the distraction. It became evident during the class that the spy was an experienced salsa dancer, even though she had never led before. "Six regional styles," she admitted when questioned. "I can tango, too."

Betty was a popular choice among the other dancers in the hours following the class, allowing for some surreptitious scanning. Ann noticed how a particular couple in their twenties kept taking turns inviting the brunette onto the dancefloor, and made sure that the four of them got together at the bar as the night was winding down, talking about their respective relationships among other things.

"So Zoe," Gogo asked as Gigi dragged Betty off for one last dance, "Is Liz as much fun in the bedroom as she is on the dancefloor?"

Ann laughed at the straightforward question. "I can't say for sure. Like I said, she's new to all this, and... well, I can say she's fun to do things _to_." Gogo, the Italian half of the European couple, giggled at the inference. The redhead continued, "In contrast, she's so much better than me at salsa, I've mostly watched her dancing with others."

Gogo nodded at her French wife. "I am sure Gigi could help you expand her horizons, if you'd like to watch that too." The raven-haired girl was completely serious, and apparently got a kick out of voicing such suggestions.

"And what would you be doing while your wife was having her way with my girlfriend?"

Gogo's grin widened. "Fucking you. In a way that doesn't obstruct your view of those two, of course."

"A foursome with every natural hair colour represented, hm?" Another shared giggle. "I've only been with two women once before, myself. To be honest, you two would probably be focusing on me while Liz watched. But if we're lucky, things could evolve from there..."

"Then ask her. And I'll hope we see you both again tomorrow night. I think, between the three of us, we can convince Liz to try anything she has not done yet."

"Your mind's every bit as filthy as mine, isn't it?"

"Blame the wife."

The last dance finished, and the quartet headed off together in the direction of the guest rooms, chatting along the way... at which point, Betty and Ann got an unexpected break.

"Oh, have you heard the rumour?" Gigi asked the older couple. "They say the American singer Britina is on the ship."

"Britina?" Betty echoed. Ann was unsure what the connection was, but knew that her daughter had helped the celebrity several times in the past.

Gogo rolled her eyes at the change in topic. "They say she is whoring, too."

This time the surprised echo came from both of them. "Whoring?"

"Gogo thinks it is un impressionniste," Gigi said, "But I bet she is the real thing. Only someone rich and famous could get on a cruise for couples alone. I wonder if they know what she is doing, though..."

"How did you hear this?" Betty asked as skeptically as she thought appropriate.

Gogo answered. "From a pair of English rich bitches with bad bleached hair and terrible fashion sense. They said they spent the night with _the_ Britina, then complained about the cost."

"A shame, if it's true," Ann ventured.

"Better than drugs or alcohol, no?" Gigi said. "But her music is not as popular since her arrest, so..."

"You just want to try her yourself," Gogo teased. "Whatever she asks for, I think it is not worth it." Her wife only shrugged in response.

"How do you even hire her if she's keeping such a low profile?" Ann wondered aloud.

"That, they did not say," Gigi sighed, before stopping at the next door along their side of the corridor. "This is us. Will you be coming in?"

The question caught Betty by surprise, but Ann couldn't help but smile at the hope in the young blonde's voice. "Next time, perhaps."

Gogo stepped toward Ann. "I hope so," she said huskily before giving the redhead a kiss that verged on passionate. Betty gaped at the sight before Gigi grabbed her and crossed the passion line entirely.

Some whispered good nights, and the European couple retired to their room. The cyclopean spy remained stunned even as Ann led her away from the door. "She... they..."

"After all the things you've seen, it's quite a different story when it's actually happening to you, isn't it?"

"...Gigi is a very enthusiastic kisser."

"Her wife is a lucky girl."

"They _are_ girls. They must be at least ten, fifteen years younger than us. And they really want the four of us... together?"

"Gogo wants you to watch her do me while I watch Gigi do you."

"Oh. Well, um... something to think about later."

It sounded like Betty's mind was getting back on track with the mission, so Ann asked, "Britina. You think it's her?"

The brunette nodded. "Her first thefts after the experimental surgery involved impersonating various celebrities she has interacted with in the past. Your sons figured out how, actually, before Kimberly apprehended her."

"I suppose you'll be adding solicitation to her list of charges."

"Among other things."

"So, how _does_ one hire a low profile celebrity whore?"

"That, I think you can leave to me."

Ann slipped her hand from Betty's to put her arm around her waist. "Does that give us tonight?"

"This morning, technically."

"If we're going to visit Mrs. and Mrs. Lala tomorrow night, I think we should get some practice in before dawn."

"If we apprehend Camille tomorrow, that won't be necessary."

"But it would be fun. You know Gigi would be crushed if you don't come with me. You're just her type."

"Which is?"

"Inexperienced when it comes to women."

"That doesn't explain their marriage," Betty said as the pair entered their own room. "Besides, she isn't you. But it wouldn't bother you at all, would it. Seeing me with her."

"I think it would be liberating for you. Would you be jealous of Gogo?"

"Yes," Betty admitted.

The redhead kissed her softly after the immediate response. "So if I suggested a threesome with Kim instead..."

"Shego would probably kill us," Betty finished in a flat tone.

"Actually, I think she'd film the whole thing and then blackmail you with it," Ann laughed.

Betty silently conceded the point, choosing not to voice her preference for Shego to tend to her while she watched the mother and daughter together. It would have been more interesting if Shego was still a bona fide villainess, but not by much..._ the things this woman makes me imagine,_ she thought as the redhead in question kissed her some more. _Is this what Shego did to them?_

* * *

><p>Ann woke the next morning to fing the cyclopean sky already gone. Betty usually woke first, but remained in bed until the redhead followed suit. Ann supposed she was already off looking for a way to employ the services of the suspected shape-shifting whore.<p>

When the brunette did not return after the morning's ablutions, Ann went to breakfast alone, then wandered the busier decks to practice the observation skills she had picked up from Betty in the last few days. She caught no sign of her partner, but guessed an English couple by the pool wearing tasteless yet expensive jewellery were the the pair Gogo had described. Had Betty spoken to them? The neurosurgeon suspected not, and chose not to approach them herself. However Britina or Camille arranged to meet potential clients, Betty would probably find it. Instead, Ann spent the rest of the morning by or in the pool herself.

Betty rejoined her for lunch. "Well?" Ann asked without preamble.

"I acquired a mobile telephone number from a crew member who gave me a time window far removed from our meeting, and someone sounding like Britina at the other end of the line when I made the call. She's coming to our room for dinner."

"Dinner?"

"That's what she called it. I suspect she actually intends to be fed; it's easier to eat while laying low when someone else is footing the bill."

Ann chuckled. "So, three days of scanning with the fanciest technology for nothing, hm?"

"Now we have a prime suspect, one more scan should be all we need."

* * *

><p>A woman in smart casual clothes approached their door. She looked both ways down the corridor, her ponytail swinging back and forth from its purple scrunchie, before knocking.<p>

The door opened to pop star Britina. "Hiya!" she greeted with cheerful enthusiasm. "You must be Liz."

"That's right," Betty answered, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter.

"Cool eyepatch. Do you actually need it, or did it become a fashion trend and I missed it?"

"Necessary. But it does make costume parties easier. Pirates... supervillains..."

"Cool." Britina's eyes had just come to rest upon Ann, who was lying on the bed, laptop sitting on its namesake. "Eyepatch and Ginger. There's a TV show in the making."

"I think we're more 'behind the scenes' people," Ann said to keep the girl's attention on her, as well as to disguise the sound of the scanner as Betty used it from behind the blonde. "So, are you just here for dinner, or can you stay longer?"

"Depends on how much cash you have," Britina sighed. "After that whole thing with Nicky Nick, I'd never do this sorta thing with boys. Girls, though... well, they can be bitches, but better that than total creeps, right? It's hard for someone of my fame to explore their sexuality, but with the whole celebrity thing, I figure... I hope you don't think less of me, asking money for this. I need to make up for my recent monetary shortfalls, y'know?"

The laptop bleeped near the end of Britina's monologue, diverting Ann's attention. "Oops, here's the email I was waiting for..."

Britina glanced back to Betty. "Actually, I'm surprised girls your age are interested in me," she said, casually flicking her bangs. "usually it's, like, fans wanting to get into my pants. You're older than my usual demographic... no offense."

"None taken," Betty told her.

"I think my daughter likes your music," Ann added.

"You have a kid? It sure doesn't show."

"It's genetic."

Now observing Ann more closely, Britina frowned. "You seem kinda familiar. Have I met your daughter before?"

"Several times, yes," Ann answered, the 'yes' directed at Betty.

Whatever Britina was going to say next was interrupted by the powerful jolt of electricity she was hit with from behind. Her face spasmed into the likenesses of several different women before Camille Leon dropped to the floor, paralyzed.

"Good work, doctor," Betty told Ann.

"Thank you, doctor," Ann told Betty.

By the time Camille regained muscle control, she was securely tied to a chair. If she could morph into a child half her age, she might have been able to slip out of her bindings. She'd tried it in the past, but there were limitations to what she could do with her body. _Stupid skeleton. Stupid internal organs, _she thought as she started squirming. "Ugh... what... this isn't my kind of kink. What's going on?"

"You're under arrest, Miss Leon," Dr. Director answered.

Realising she was in her original form, the disowned heiress tried another tack. "I can't be! We're in international waters!"

"The oceans are international waters. The Caribbean Sea is not."

"Ugh." Camille silently cursed herself for making such a mistake. "I thought I'd be safe here."

"You're not safe anywhere, anymore, Miss Leon. You gave up that right when you became a villain."

"Huh? I'm just a thief!"

"And a whore," Ann interjected.

"Technically, that's legal," Camille huffed. She'd at least done her research on _that_.

Betty redirected the blonde's attention back to her. "Solicitation is not. Neither is impersonating others in the course of your wrongdoings, legal or otherwise. But we were willing to let the usual authorities handle you, once we took precautions should your criminal behaviour escalate."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember one of your first days in prison, being hooked up up to a machine and shown picture after picture after picture? You asked who was behind the mirror. _I_ was."

Camille paled. "Global Justice."

"Dr. Director, _head_ of Global Justice. And when someone with your abilities adds kidnapping to their résumé, they become villains." Betty leaned down until she was nose to nose with the disowned heiress, before growling, "Where is Bonnie Rockwaller?"


	15. Escapologists

Will Du landed his Global Justice hoverjet on the cruise ship's helipad, located directly behind the bridge. Disembarking, he couldn't stop an eyebrow from twitching upward as he noticed the gender of the ship's captain, but he offered her a short bow regardless, and she nodded in return.

Doctors Director and Possible followed the captain out with their prisoner. Camille Leon was secured in curious non-regulation wrist and ankle cuffs, as well as being trussed up in rope around her arms and torso. The head of GJ had her slung over a shoulder. She was probably as light as she looked. It was unhealthy to be so thin. A shame that the young woman had ever been a role model.

"Dr. Director," Will said once they were close enough, giving his superior a slightly deeper bow.

"Agent Du," Betty returned. "I trust you remember Dr. Possible."

"Of course." Another bow. "A pleasure to see you again, doctor."

Ann smiled, assuming she shouldn't greet him on a first name basis. "Hello, Will. You've grown up a bit since I last saw you."

Betty gave her a look before carrying the now bona fide villainess into the hoverjet as Will responded with a smile. "The Global Justice fitness regime is comprehensive and thorough." He had no urge to flex, though he was quite proud of how well he had filled out. His physique was not that of a brawler, but he was certainly strong for his size. "You're positiviely glowing, doctor. I dare say the mission has done wonders for you."

"It's been a nice change of pace, and the location has certainly been interesting," Ann agreed, before stepping closer and continuing in a low voice, "I'm hoping to convince Betty herself to stay the rest of the week."

Both eyebrows went up this time. "Dr. Director is the head of a worldwide organisation. She has many responsibilites that require her attention. Getting personally involved in a field mission is as much a vacation for her as anything else."

"Sounds like stressful work," Ann pointed out. "Surely Global Justice can spare her a few more days."

As Will considered this, Betty reappeared from inside the hoverjet. "Prisoner is secured, Agent... what are you two conspiring about?"

Ann waved to Will, allowing him to field the question. After a moment's hesitation, he formally addressed his superior. "Dr. Director, it has been brought to my attention that you may be overworked."

Now Betty was doing the eyebrow thing. "Oh, really."

"That is Dr. Possible's professional opinion, and I concur. You may treat field missions as vacations, but they still qualify as work, not relaxation. I can't recall when you last took some actual time off."

"I..." Betty hesitated. She couldn't remember the last time she took some leave, either. "Alright... what do the regulations suggest, then, Agent Du?"

"Enjoy the rest of the cruise, ma'am. Global Justice will manage."

Betty scowled at Ann's smug smile, but nodded in agreement. "Very well. Miss Rockwaller is being held in a rental lair in Vegas. I'll transmit the details to your database. Good luck, Agent Du."

"Be careful, Will," Ann added.

"I will, and thank you."

* * *

><p>Camille had cooperated following the revelation that her criminal status had been upgraded to villain. She admitted to using Rockwaller's credit card to purchase a month of use for the rental lair, including the standard booby trap package. HenchCo's red tape and legal workarounds made it extremely difficult to obtain such details, but the young woman had given the exact location of the rental lair. Will adjusted his course accordingly.<p>

The booby trap package meant it would be as difficult for Rockwaller to escape the lair as it would for Will to penetrate it. He spent the rest of the flight reviewing what GJ knew of HenchCo's trap division.

From the outside, the rental lair looked like any other large storage space. The door's security was easy enough to bypass - electric shocks notwithstanding - but inside was a completely different story. It was a wide open space, but not large enough for the building itself. Will looked at what lay ahead with grim determination, not liking what he saw. "Panels. Lots of panels..."

"Hello?" came a voice from the far side of the lair.

"Miss Rockwaller?" There was some sort of structure at the far end of the lair, and the girl seemed to be behind it.

"Yes!"

"Special Agent First Class Will Du, Global Justice. I'll have you out of here shortly."

The agent heard a mutter along the lines of, "Thank god it's not Kim," before a louder, "Watch out for the traps! I don't know what they all are, but the skank that put me in here demonstrated those spiky crushers in the ceiling, so I didn't dare try to escape."

"Very sensible," Will called back. "Don't worry, this won't take long." He turned his attention to each wall, then the ceiling. The crushers _were_ the most obvious, jagged surfaces on pistons intended to come down on anyone triggering the weight-sensitive panels around the target area on the floor below... except that would mean a zipline would circumnavigate... _Ah. Motion detectors,_ the agent realised. It didn't explain why the floor was panelled, unless something was meant to come up from underneath. He had no information on what that might be. It looked like surprise was intended to be part of the lair's theme.

He took a moment to extrapolate the potential paths through the space in either direction, then leapt into action.

Various panels in the ceiling and high up the walls slid open to allow automatic laser cannons to move into position and begin firing. That was an unwanted complication, but not unexpected. Laser cannons were a classic, after all. Less so were the nozzles protruding from the walls at roughly waist height, which proved to be flamethrowers. It would have been safer to stick to the wall in their vicinity, if not for the crushers. And then there were those other wall protrubances just two feet up, each with a twin on the far wall, that started sending arcs of electricity across Will's path.

The electric ones were new. He'd have to update the GJ database.

The fixed traps were arranged so that avoiding one would lead into another, and the laser cannons were meant to distract if not destroy. Will dodged and ducked, leapt and rolled, avoiding everything the lair was throwing at him until he reached Bonnie Rockwaller. The structure her voice had come from was a compact living unit, comprising a cot, with a refridgerator on one side, a toilet on the other, and a television on the opposite wall - the rear wall of the lair - displaying questionable reality television.

The girl herself was in the cot holding a pillow over her head, likely since the laser fire started. Now it had stopped, she peeked out from underneath.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Rockwaller," Will said with an encouraging smile.

"You... you made it!"

"Indeed."

"How?" the brunette asked as she got to her feet.

"Acrobatics, for the most part; something I believe you yourself are familiar with. Are you not both a ballerina and a cheerleader?"

"Well, yeah," Bonnie said as she ran her fingers through her hair, "But I've never done anything like that while being shot at with lasers!"

"You did once assist Kim Possible in defeating Professor Dementor."

"Ugh, that was totally different. We were tied up for most of it, and the only acrobatics involved were to stop the foreign guy with no fashion or common sense from escaping."

"Granted, but now we have the advantage. We now know the nature and locations of the obstacles we must overcome." Will intentionally avoided calling them traps.

"I don't wanna get fried..."

Will resisted the urge to sigh. By his estimation, Rockwaller was capable of following him back to the entrance. Admittedly, she lacked experience with these conditions, and she was more familiar with learning routines, not improvisation... "Very well, let's see what we can do to tip the odds further in our favour." He scrutinized the living unit. "Is that your purse?"

"Yeah."

"With your permission..."

Bonnie gestured for him to proceed, and he dumped the purse's contents onto the cot. Sorting through them, he came across a compact, which he opened and tapped the mirror to check if it was glass or plastic. Luckily, it was the former.

"Can I borrow this?" Will asked.

"It won't do much for your complexion."

"Thank you."

The agent hopped out of the cover the living unit provided and began another deadly dance with the booby traps. Regulating his movements so that only the laser cannon farthest from him could accurately target him, he started redirecting laser fire to the closest cannons. He had to get back behind cover twice to catch his breath, but when he was done, all the cannons had been destroyed.

Bonnie had returned her possessions to the confines of her purse, which was now slung diagonally over a shoulder. Will returned her compact to her as she asked, "Is it safe?"

"The laser cannons are disabled. That leaves the crushers, electric tripwires and flamethrowers, but they are all stationary threats. If you follow me at a safe distance and do as I do, we can evade them."

"Okay." Bonnie closed her purse and did a few quick warmup stretches. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Will gave her another smile before they both stepped out of the living unit... which promptly beeped and fell through the floor. Will spun into a combat stance when Bonnie yelped, and they both hear a loud splash from the square hole where they had just been standing. Once their minds processed what had just happened, they stepped carefully to the edge of the hole and looked down into the surprisingly well-lit waters below.

"Are those sharks?" Bonnie asked with alarm.

"Oh dear," Will muttered.

"What?"

"I may have made a slight tactical error. I thought the floor was comprised of panels, when it's actually comprised of cubes."

"So?"

Will yanked Bonnie back just as the cubes around the edge of the hole began to seperate from each other and drop into the water below. "Try to stay about two seconds behind me!" he ordered, then ran diagonally to the nearest wall and back to the exit.

With the floor collapsing and lacking any other options, Bonnie complied. Her eyes widened as he leapt over the first flamethrower nozzle, and an "Eep!" escaped her lips when she saw the tripwires were literally electrical, but it was the crushers that nearly did her in. With the exit so near, she had gotten too close to the agent and landed on one crusher before it had retracted. her stomach lurched as it began its ascent, promising to squish her against the ceiling instead of the floor.

The cheerleader watched Will avoid the next flamethrow and crusher... and saw her opportunity. From halfway up the high-ceilinged lair, she leapt forward, bypassing the flamethrower entirely before grabbing the edge of the last crusher and swinging into a somersault with just enough momentum to land on her feet... but that same momentum had her falling backward just as the floor behind her gave way. She drew breath to scream, but hands grabbing her flailing wrists prevented her from tipping over. The cubes under her own feet gave way just as she was yanked forward onto the solid floor of the doorway, and into Will Du's arms.

For a long moment, Bonnie held on tight, her breath coming in short gasps. As she rediscovered her feet, she began to take her own weight again, whispering, "Okay. I'm okay. I made it."

"Yes you are and yes you did," Will told her, taking her by the shoulders so she would be standing upright. "And you're welcome. Quick thinking at the end there, well done."

"Yeah... well..." Bonnie took a deep breath, "I did what I had to, I guess."

"And so you get to live another day."

"Yeah... damn."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm supposed to start summer school tomorrow. The whole time I was in there, I was thinking, 'at least I won't have to go through with that now.' Are you sure Possible didn't send you?"

Perhaps a Possible had, but Will wasn't about to divulge priviledged information. "No, she didn't." The girl grunted, apparently taking what small satisfaction she could from that. The agent continued, "If you'll come with me, I'll fly you back to Middleton."

He noticed that Miss Rockwaller didn't seem too pleased with that notion either, but chose not to comment on it.


	16. Recuperations

Both couples had agreed that the last night on board would be spent alone. Though much of the week had been fun, the European pair had learned that they couldn't push the brunette's buttons like the redhead could. Now in their own room, Betty lay panting as she recovered from Ann's latest ministrations, the medical doctor using her belly as a pillow as she spoke. "Mmm... now, aren't you glad you gave yourself some actual time off?"

"I'll admit, the last few days have been something of an eye-opener," Betty admitted, sighing contentedly. "No pun intended."

"Pun?"

"Only one eye."

"Ah, I see."

The spy sighed again, this time in amusement. "I am looking forward to getting back to work, however. I imagine you are too, returning to work and family..."

"True." Ann had found herself missing James more and more, not just for the familiar comforts his presence brought, but because she wanted to share her sexual exploits with her husband. Thoughts of them both seducing a certain gorgeous blonde robotics expert once again crossed her mind, and she began to nuzzle the curve of the belly beneath her.

"You realise, of course, that our activities this week are highly classified," Dr. Director told the insatiable redhead.

"I already told James I was going to try and seduce a spy," Ann admitted, looking up to Betty's face and pouting slightly. "Can't I tell him I succeeded?"

"Your husband's attention to security matters has suffered moments of laxity in the past."

"Not on the subject of me fucking the living daylights out of women I probably shouldn't," Ann assured her, slipping a finger back inside and giving it a slow twirl as she spoke. The wetness of Betty's last climax was still present, and the doctor soon slid the finger into the brunette's mouth to suck it clean.

"The things you've been doing to me... how many of them did you do to Kimberly?"

Ann's smirk mirrored Shego's. "That's for me to know, and you to find out."

The fact that these words were spoken to a spy was not lost on Betty. "You're intending to repeat such behaviour?"

"Anything's possible... but to be honest, I just don't know. After telling Kimmie the full story about my parents, I think she'll be hesitant to do it again."

"I'm surprised you told her."

"I wanted her to understand why I did what I did, and when, because... I understood her own reasons. No matter what happens, we'll be closer for it." Ann paused, considering. "If she was eager to do it again after telling her everything, _then_ I would be concerned."

"How _did_ she react?" Betty asked.

"As horrified and close to tears as anyone would expect. It was almost adorable."

"That's good to hear."

The seriousness of her tone focused the redhead's attention. "You've been genuinely worried about this, haven't you?"

"Of course. There are people - a few of them villains - whose behaviour was instigated by such socially unacceptable activities. When it comes down to it, society tends to be a more common causal factor than morality."

"How do you mean?"

"Well..." Dr. Director tried to think of an example. "Consider the attitudes concerning sex since the formation of Jewish society, the laws they chose to govern themselves by. Some of it was common sense, and some of it was simply intended to be contrary to their former Egyptian masters. _Er go_, Egyptian promiscuity was replaced by Jewish restraint. The Christian puritanism that eventually followed is the opposite extreme of ancient Egyptian sexual practice... which, by the way, is believed to have been rife with incest."

"But that change occurred over thousands of years."

"Yes. The greater the community, the more time it can take for the pendulum to swing. In a community of two, such as a parent and child, it can happen much more quickly. From a certain point of view, the fact that you and Kimberly have shared this taboo together is a good thing, regardless of any moral judgement... which is how I choose to interpret your comment about it bringing the two of you closer together."

Ann smiled up at the brunette. "Your doctorate is in the social and psychological field, isn't it."

"_They_ are," Betty amended. "While I would never claim to be a 'people person,' I do _understand_ them. Not only is it beneficial to anyone in a leadership role, I believe it is imperative to an organisation like Global Justice. We have to take the society of the entire planet into account, which is why villains fall under our purview."

"Because they try to take over the world, and so on."

"Exactly."

Ann remembered Betty's words to Kim after discovering the teen hero's secret relationship with the villainess. "You'd still accept Kim into GJ, wouldn't you. Despite what you said that night."

Dr. Director nodded. "When she's ready. Psychology, politics, humanities... her plans for the remainder of her education mirror my own, and she has opportunities I did not, at the time. I look forward to seeing how she turns out."

* * *

><p>"Fuck," Kim whispered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."<p>

"Fuckity fuck-fuck," Shego agreed from between her breasts.

"How long have we been doing this?"

The former villainess checked the bedside alarm clock. "...About a week, I think."

The redhead sighed. "That's it, then. I'm done. No more sex. All the important parts are too sore to go on, and my leg isn't far behind."

"Guess my superpowered constitution wins in the bedroom as well as on the battlefield, then."

"Hey, if you want to diddle yourself, go ahead... but I'm not helping."

Instead, the green girl dragged herself down the younger girl's body, took a deep breath, then buried her face in Kim's stomach and blew. The teenager reacted as expected, but was too weak to force Shego's face away from her ticklish skin. Reduced to tears of laughter, she could only beg her lover to stop.

When she was done panting for breath, Kim looked down at Shego's smiling face. "I think I'll _have_ to share you with mom. I can't fight you _or_ fuck you as long as you'd like."

"Do you see me complaining? Besides, we've never had the opportunity for a distance run, before; even the weekend getaway was more of a series of sprints." Shego began to kiss her way back up Kim's mody. "I expect... you'll find... a whole new rythm... when your... teenage... metabolism... calms down."

"Maybe that's something else I should worry about," the teen hero said. "You'll always bounce back, but I could burn out before my time."

"Then it's my job... to make sure... you don't," the former villainess punctuated her words with a kiss to the tip of Kim's nose, and the redhead pulled her in for a proper kiss.

"I love you," Shego murmured.

"I love you too," Kim answered.

"I love you more."

The redhead smiled. "But I love you so much."

"I love you that much more."

"I think I love you more than you think."

"I don't think so."

Having had enough of their verbal joust, Kim yanked the pillow out from under her head and swung it with some force into her lover's face, provoking a muffled chuckle. She carefully stretched every which way, sighing as she relaxed when she was done.

"What now, then?" Shego asked. "Sleep, or food?"

"Both."

"Think your poor abused tongue can manage breakfast?" She checked the clock again. "Brunch?"

The redhead's stomach answered with a growl, making them both giggle. This time Kim didn't wait until the older woman reached the door before saying, "Put something on first, in case Wade's here."

"Yeah, yeah." The former villainess was already reaching for her dark green robe. "Come to the kitchen when you smell the bacon, princess." Heading down the corridor, she was on the verge of entering the kitchen when she was distracted by the noise coming from the main room at the end of the corridor. It sounded like people. Quite a few people, doing noisy things.

Frowning, Shego padded to the end of the corridor. The door swooshed open, proving her ears had been accurate: a few people in lab coats, a couple in in suits... and henchmen. Drakken's henchmen, according to the unfit bodies in red outfits, painting the walls of the lair white.

She approached the nearest pair. "Uh, guys?"

"Afternoon, Shego," they chorused.

"Yeah, it is. Whaaat are you doin'?"

"Working for the boy genius," the tall thin one said.

"He pays better than Drakken ever did," the short squat one added.

Shego nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. _Why_ is he paying you?"

"Because he wants to keep the lair's-"

"Base," the other corrected.

"...The base's location as secret as possible, so he's only bringing in people who already knows it's here."

"It's boring work, but it's safer-"

"And more profitable."

"...Than going against the cheerleader."

Before Shego could formulate a response, a Global Justice agent slowly paced by, her attention focused on the device she was pointing at the ground just ahead of her toes. Noticing the former villainess' presence, she started to say hello before pausing, taking in the green girl's dishevelled state, manner of dress and dubious expression. Closing her mouth, she simply smiled and nodded before returning her attention to what she was doing.

Shego watched as the agent continued to pace slowly along the wall, keeping the wide, flat doohicky in her hands level with the floor. A light that was probably some sort of scanning beam was emanating from underneath the device, and a screen on the top displayed its findings. At one point she paused, deactivated the machine and tucked it under one arm; with her free hand, she fished a piece of chalk from a pocket, reached down and drew a large circle around the spots he was standing. Looking the way he had come, Shego spotted other chalk circles...

She was surveying the room for GJ transport tubes.

"NERRRDLINGERRR!"

A brief flurry of confusion followed the outburst. The henchmen automatically fled, being familiar with Shego's temper after the many times she had blown up at Drakken over the last few years. Their behaviour caused the handful of Global Justice agents to move defensively between the former villainess and the scientists, waiting to see what Shego would do next. Wade burst into the room a moment later, only to suffer the brunt of the green girl's ire over the presence and intentions of Global Justice.

He was still explaining when Kim limped into the room to see what all the fuss was about. "There'll only be one transport tube, I swear; they're just marking all _potential_ locations. GJ are involved in the rebuilding of the Possible home, the tube will be going there."

"What's the point?" Shego argued. "Kimmie's going to college soon, and after that..."

The teenager in question joined the conversation. "I haven't thought that far ahead. But it _would_ be nice to have quick and discrete transport between here and the house." She placed a hand on her girlfriend's arm. "Shego, you're used to hiding out, but I don't think I'd be able to _live_ here. Not full-time. Besides, it'd be nice for you to use the tube too, visit the fam every now and then. The tweebs are like the least annoying pair of your brothers, right?"

"Your brothers are little mad scientists, they're definitely worse than Wego," Shego scoffed before poking Kim's collarbone. "And don't think I'm gonna show up for family dinner just because I can show my face without getting arrested, cupcake. I can still only take so much 'happy family' crap before the nausea kicks in."

Holding up a pair of placating palms, the redhead replied, "Just make an effort, that's all I'm asking. Give dad the opportunity to threaten to send you into a black hole if you break my heart."

"Ugh, geeks," the former villainess grunted, but it was half-hearted. She turned back to Wade. "As long as the tube only goes to the house and isn't part of the GJ network; I don't want them having direct access to _my_ home."

"Promise," Wade swore with a hand held aloft. It seemed to work for Kim.

"Fine. Brunch." Shego headed back the way she had come, yelling, "Back to work, boys!" before the door clanged shut behind her.

Wade switched his eyes back to Kim before she turned back to him; they had both been watching Shego's departure for the same swaying reason, and it wasn't lost on him that they were both wearing robes, and probably nothing else. "So, uh... how's the leg?"

"Sore, which I hope means it's healing. How's the world reacting to my coming out? Anything I need to worry about?"

"Nothing unexpected: lots of support, some stupidity, a little hate that I sent on to the police. The attacks on the website got me back on my security game. It's been a long time since anyone made a serious effort, but they seem to have given up now. Joss agreed to moderate the forums while I'm busy here... oh, she wants to visit sometime soon. I told her about the house, but when she heard Ron was gone and you're staying with Shego..."

"She wants to come here." Kim still suspected that her cousin had witnessed her and Shego's coupling after the Silly Hat adventure, assumed it was why Joss had not come with her father for graduation. She sighed. "It'll probably be awkwierd, but she'll have questions... you told her I wasn't mind-chipped or anything, right?"

Wade chuckled. "Yeah. I'll get back to her and we'll organise something. I was thinking a weekend visit?" Kim nodded. "I'll set it up. There's one more thing, a hit on the site you'll definitely be interested in."

The teen hero was momentarily distracted as the henchmen that had fled Shego's wrath returned to the room and their work. "Uh, Wade, aren't those..."

"Drakken's goons," the boy confirmed. "They're working for me while we redecorate, since they already know the place. It'll help them square things with the authorities, too... so, the mission?"

Kim sighed. "I'm not exactly in shape for a mission, Wade."

"I know, but it might not be that kind of mission... and you'll want to take Shego with you anyway, under the circumstances. The funny thing is, the hit's from the Rockwallers."

"Bonnie's family? Why?"

"They're claiming she's been kidnapped by Senhor Senior Junior."


End file.
